¦ag"g&g&gg«g&%g^Ia YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY From the Library of WILLIAM M. ODOM TOUR UP THE SJLR AITS, /^/t^ prom /u^^^if Gibraltar CONSTANTINOPLE. WITH TME LEADING EVENTS IN THE PRESENT WAR BETWEEN THE AUSTRIAN'S, RUSSIANS, AND THE TURKS, TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF T H£ Y.EAR I789. 3>. By CAPTAIN SUTHERLAND, OF THE 25th REGIMENT. L O N P O Ni PRINTED FOR. THE AUTHOR; £ND SOLD BY }• JOHNSON, N° 72, ST. PAUL'S CHURCII- M.DCC.XC. INTRODUCTION. /*TpHE Commander in Chief of the garrifon of Gibraltar having in dulged the Author of the following pages with leave of abfence, he ac cepted an invitation from an amiable Friend, to accompany him on a Voyage to the Levant. It was with the molt heart-felt fatisfaction, that he found himfelf en abled to profit by fo favorable an opportunity of vifiting a country, not a 3 only vi INTRODUCTION. only interefting from the precious re mains of antiquity with which it is ftill adorned, but from the critical ftate into which it was thrown by the war already began, which threatened, fooner or later, to involve in it many of the Powers of Europe, and to call forth the juft arm of Great Britain, to check the haughty ufurpations of the ambitious Court of RufTia. The Author's friends faw his hap- pinefs in embarking on fuch a Tour ; and, that they might, in fome degree, partake of it, one of them infifted that he fhould keep, and tranfmit him, a regular Journal. This promife the Author readily gave, and faithfully obferved. 3 The INTRODUCTION. Vii The compliments paid to this little work, firft gave him the idea of ap pearing in print. Aware, however, that the ground he had travelled over» had often been treated upon by much more able pens, he for fome time fup- prefled his hopes of becoming a can didate for fame in the literary world : but, after the general encouragement he met, he would have been guilty of injuftice to himfelf, and of want of confidence in his friends, had he any longer hefitated to appear before the Public. a 4 list ( K ) LIST of SUBSCRIBERS. TOUCHES S Dowag. of Ancafter, L. Duchefs Dowag. of Athol Countefs Dowag. of Ailefbury Earl of Aylesford, 5 L. Earl of Abercorn Right Hon. Lord Apfley, L. Right Hon. Lady Apfley, L. Le Chevalier Angelo Mifs F. Alhburnham, 1 Copies Mifs K. Afhburnham, 1 Copies Mr. Aldridge, M. P. L. Capt. Alms, Royal Navy, L. Capt. Archer, ill Reg. of Guards, L. Capt. Airey, 48 th Reg. Lieut. Andrews, Royal Navy Lieut. Aytone, 16th Reg. Lieut. Adams, Queen's Reg. Lieut. Anderfon, 48 th Reg. Lieut. Archbaldj 30th Reg. Enfign, ( * ) Enfign Abbot, 68 th Reg. Enfign Alves, 35th Reg. Mr. Adair, PaJl-mall, L. Mr. Adair, Newton, L. Mr. Anderfon, Gibraltar Mr. Abudraham, Gibraltar Mr. Afhton, Gibraltar Mr. Acland, Devonlhire Mr. Arthur Mr. Abney, St. John's College,; B- Earl Bathurft, L. Earl of Balcarres Countefs of Balcarres Countels Dowag. of Balcarres Right Hon. Lady Charlotte Bertie, L. Right Hon. Ifaac Barre, 5 L. Lieut. General Sir Robert Boyd, K. B. L. Hon. George Berkeley, L. Hon. Mrs. Berkeley, L. Sir Montague Burgoyne, Bart. Sir Patrick Blake, Bart. L. Hon. C. Boyle, Royal Navy Mr. Barwell, M. P. 1 L. Mrs. Barwell, L. Mr. Brodie, M. P. L. Mr. Bulteel, 3 L. Mr. T. H. Bulteel, L. Mr. J. Bulteel, Jun. L. Colonel Bullock, M. P. Governor Bruce, Dominica, 4 Copies Governor ( » ) Governor Brown, Guernfey, L. Colonel Balfour, 33d Reg. Colonel Bromhead, R. N. Lincoln Militia Colonel B. Bromhead, R. S. ditto Major Brooke, 3d Dragoon Guards, L. Capt. Bulteel, Royal Navy Capt. Bennet, Royal Reg. Capt. Baynes, Queen's Reg. Capt. Booth, 3 2d Reg. Capt. Braban, 38th Reg. Capr. Richard Brine, L. Capt. Robert Brine Capt. Jofeph Bourke Capt. Brownrigg, 5 2d Reg. Capt. Bulby, 25 th Reg. L. Capt. Brown, Edinburgh Mrs. Brown Capt. Baynton, Queen's Reg. Capt. Boardman, R. N. B. Dragoons Capt. Bates, Innilkilling Dragoons Capt. Brock, Guernfey Capt. Baillie, 67th Reg. Capt. Bain, ditto Capt. Bromhead, R. N. Lincoln Militia Capt. Bell, 19th Reg. Capt. Berry Rev. Dr. Blair, D. D. Lieut. Brown, Royal Navy, 2 Copies Lieut. Bowen, ditto Lieut. Burlton, ditto Lieut. Briggs, 25th Reg. Lieut. Bunbury, 3 2d Reg. Lieut. ( xii ) Lieut. Brown, 35th Reg. Lieut. Byng, 33 d Reg. Lieut. Browne, 1 9th Reg. Lieut. Brock, 8 th Reg. Lieut. Bowes, 3d Reg. . Lieut. Bumford, 67th Reg. Lieut. Bay ne, nth Reg. L. Lieut. Bellamy, Effex Militia, L, Lieut. Brooke, 48th Reg. Lieut. Butler, 67th Reg. Enfign Bickford, 25th Reg. Enfign Ball, ditto Enfign Buchanan, 3 2d Reg. Enfign Baynes, ditto Enfign Bower, 59th Reg. Enfign Brown, ditto Enfign Blunt, 3d Reg. Enfign Blakeney, 17th Reg. Enfign Barnett, 1 2th Reg. Enfign Baillie, 30th Reg. Enfign Bunbury, 60th Reg. Mr. Broughton, Royal Navy Mr. Browne, ditto Mr. Bufhell, ditto Mr. Boyle, 42d Reg. Mr. Bridges, Royal Navy, 2 Copies Mr. Becher, ditto, 4 Copies Rev. Mr. Barnes, Suffex Rev. Mr. Barflow, Colchefter Mr. Baynes, Gibraltar, 6 Copies Mr. Bruciano, ditto Mr. Bolton, ditto z Mr. ( xui ) Mr. Bryant, ditto Mr, Barton, Colchefter Mr. C. Baring, Exeter, L, Mrs. P. Baker, Exmouth^ L. Mr. Bailey, Ordnance Mr. Barnard, Jerfey Mr. Broadley, Yorkshire Mrs. Bull, Chichefter Mr. Burnett^ Malaga Mr. Brock, Guernfey Mr. J. Brock, ditto Mr. Baird, of Newbeath Mr. W. Bulby, L. Mr. Bannatine Mr. Backwell, Chichefier Mr. Bowman, Afhgrove Mr. Bedingfield, Bromley-Hall C Her Royal Highnefs the Duchefs of Cum, berland, L, Marquis of Clanricarde, L. Marchionefs of Clanricarde, L, Right Hon. General Conway, L, Lady Campbell Mr. Cotsford, M, P, L, Mr. Crickitt, M. P. Mr. Chambers, i L. Mr. Cummings, Inglefield Green, 8 Copies Capt. Cromwell, Royal Navy, L, Colonel Coates, 19th Reg. Colonel Caldecot, R. N, Lincoln Militia, L. Colonel ( xiv ) Colonel Campbell, Royal Reg, Major Cockran, ditto Major Cook, L Major Campbell, 48th Reg. Capt, D. Campbell, Royal Reg. Cape. Conolly, 18th Reg. Capt. Carter, 3 2d Reg. Capt. Coutts, Marines Capt. Carlton, Royal Artillery Capt. Craufurd, Queen's Dragoon Guards • Capt, Campbell, 19th Reg. Capt, Church, 38 th Reg. Capt, Cuppage, Royal Artillery Capt. Carter, Suffex Militia, L. Lieut. Commerford, Royal Navy Lieut. Campbell, ditto Lieut. Craven Lieut. Croker, 38 th Reg. Lieut, Clepham, 17th Reg. Lieut. Carleton, 3d Dragoon Guards L, Lieut. A. Campbell, Royal Reg. Lieut. N. Campbell, ditto Lieut. R. Campbell, ditto Lieut. Caul field, nth Reg. Lieut. Chamney, 25th Reg. Lieut. Campbell, ditto Lieut. Coleman, 3 2d Reg. Lieut. Cornilh, Marines, L. Lieut. Clarke, 35th Reg. Lieut. Childers, nth Dragoons Enfign Cochran, Royal Reg. Enfign Chambers, Queen's Reg, Enfign ( ™ ) Enfign Cockell, ditto Enfign Clapham, 35th Reg. Enfign Cunningham, 17 th Reg, Enfign Callander, 25th Reg. Enfign Creighton, 19th Reg. Enfign Copley, 30th Reg. Enfign Clements, 59th Reg. Mr. Cook, 25 th Reg. Mr, Cook, 60th Reg. Dr. Calcagni, LL. D. Naples Rev. Mr. Campbell, Jamaica Mr. Crathorne, L. Mr. Collins, Royal Navy Mr. Collier, ditto Mr. Colby, ditto Mr. R. B. Campbell, ditto Mr. G. R. Collyer, ditto Mr. Coutts, Banker, L. Mr. Claneley, Malaga Mr. Cole, ditto Mr. Crooke, ditto Mr. Caftleman, Ordnance Mr. Collier, Wenlock Mr. Colt, of Seacliff Mr. Caravallo, Gibraltar Mr. Carey, Guernfey Mr. Cholmondeley Mr. Cathcatt, of Greenfield Mr. Corfellis, Colleftor of Colchefter Mr. Correwont, Jamaica Mr. Cowper, Gibraltar, 2 Copies Mr, M, Cowper, ditto Mr, ( xvi ) Mr. M. Cowper, Jun. ditto .Mr. Calcraft^ ditto ' D. Right Hon. Lord Daer, L. Hon. Mrs, Darner, % L. Sir Thomas Dundas, Bart. £. Sir George Douglas, Bart. L. Colonel Dundas, nth Dragoons Colonel Dalrymple, Queen's Reg. Colqnel Dundas, Royal Reg. Colonel Danfey, 33d Reg. Colonel D'Aubant, Royal Engineers Capt. Dewry, Royal Navy Capt. Dumarefque, ditto Capt. Douglas, nth Reg. Capt, Davies, 38th Reg. Capt. Darby, 59th Reg. Captain Dorfet, R. M. Academy Capt. De Ruvijnes, Royal Artillery Capt. Dickfon, Kelfo Lieut. Dunham, Royal Navy Lieut. Dewell, Queen's Reg, Lieut. Dawfon, ditto, L, Lieut. Dickens, Royal Engineers Lieut. Dowfe, ditto Lieut. Dickfon, 25th Reg, 2 Copies. Lieut. Dalton, 67th Reg. Lieut. Davie, 75th Reg. L. Lieut. Drozier, Royal Artillery Enfign Duff, 35th Reg. Cornet Dupies, Queen's Dragoon Guards Mr, ( scvii ) Mr. Davies, 3d Dragoon Guards, Z* Dr. Downman, M. D; Exeter, L. Dr. Douglas, M. D. Kelfo Dr. Dickibn, Antigua Mr. Durell, King's Advocate, Jerfey Rev. H. Bate Dudley Mr. Drill, Royal Navy Mr. Dowling, ditto Mrs. Dewar, Edinburgh Mrs. Difney, Lincoln, L. Mifs Anne Dick, Preftonfield Mr. Ducarel, Exmouth, L* Mr. Duff, Cadiz, 6 Copies Mr. Deze, Gibraltar Mr. Dott, L. Mr. Dunbar, Edinburgh Mr. Day,' Colchefter Mr. De Zea, Malaga Mr. Defdive, ditto Mr. Derrieux, ditto Mr. Dannexy, ditto Mr. Dempfter Mr. Dawfon, Pontefracr* L< Mr. Dalhwood Mr. J. Drew, Chichefter, 2 Copies Mr. Dundas, of Arnifton Mr. Dundas, LincolnVInn Mr. Dundas, of Melville Mr. Davies, Coombe Grove^ L. Mr. Ditcher, Eaft Berghott Mr. Donaldfon, Jamaica Earl ( xviii ) Earl of Eglintoun, Z. Hon. Colonel Eliptt, 3 Copies Colonel Eyre, Royal Artillery Major Edgar, 25th Reg. 8 Copies Capt. Evelegh, Royal Engineers' Capt. Erfkine, 50th Reg. Lieut. Efpinaffe, nth Reg. Lieut. Eifton, 35 th Reg. Lieut. Elliott, King's Dragoon Guards Lieut. Edwards, Queen's Reg. Lieut. Evelegh, ditto Lieut. Evatt, Queen's Dragoon Guards Enfign Eyre, nth Reg. Enfign Elliot, 25th Reg. 2 Copies Enfign Eliott, Queen's Reg. Mr. Ekins, Royal Navy, 2 Copies Mr. Elkins, ditto Mrs. Elliot, Malaga Mr. Enflie, Smyrna, 2 Copies Mr. Eyre, Exmouth Mr. Eden, Gibraltar Mr. Elliot, Effex F. Right Hon. Lord Auguftus Fitzroy Right Hon. Lord Charles Fitzgerald, Z* Right Hon. Lord Henry Fitzgerald, Z. Right Hon. Lord Robert Fitzgerald, Z. Right Hon. Lord Edward Fitzgerald, Z, Hon. Colonel Fox, Z. Hon. Mrs. Fox Hon. Mrs. Forward, Z. Hon. ( xix ) Hon* Matthew Fortefcue, Z. Mr. Francis, M. P, Z. Mrs. Francis, Z. Mifs Francis, Z. Mifs C. Francis, Z. Colonel Fullarton, M. P, Z. Mr. Fleming* M. P. Z. Capt. Forch, Queen's Reg. Capt. Fyers, Royal Engineers Capt. Fiott, Jerfey Lieut. French, 35th Reg, Lieut. Finley, Royal Engineers, 2 Copies Lieut. Findlay, King's Dragoon Guards Lieut. Freeman, Royal N. B. Dragoons Lieut. Fellowes, 61 ft Reg. Lieut. Farquharfon, 4ad Reg, Lieut. Finney, Royal Reg. Lieut. Framingharn, Royal Artillery Enfign Fitzgerald, nth Reg. Dr. Fleming, 25th Reg. Mr. Fleming, ditto Dr. Fellowes, M. D. Lincoln, Z. Rev. Dr. Fofter, D- D. Colchefter Rev. Mr. Frewen, ditto Profeffor Fergufon Mr. Judge Frafer, Gibraltar, 2 Copies Mr. Frafer, King's Arm's-Yard, 2 Copies Mr. S. Frafer, Jun. ditto, 2 Copies Mr. Finley, Royal Navy Mr. Frafer, ditto Mr. Franklin, ditto, 2 Copies Mr. Earlier, ditto Mrs. Frankland, Chichefter, Z. b 2 Mrs. { xx ) Mrs. Fletcher, Edinburgh Mrs. Fordyce, of Ayton Mifs Ferguffon, St. Alban's Mrs. Forbes, of Callander Mr. Forbes Mr. R. Forbes Mr. Falconer, Z. Mr. Flor, Malaga Mr. Fergufon, Pitfour Duchefs of Gordon, Z. Earl Gower, Z. Right Hon. Lord Garlies, i Copies Right Hon. Lord Adam Gordon Hon. Mrs. Gawler, Z. Mr. Bellenden Gawler, Z. Mr. Gawler, Lincoln's Inn, Z. Major Gray, Queen's Reg. Major Glover, nth Reg. Capt. Gordon, 16th Reg. Capt. Giles, 19th Reg. Capt. Gledftanes, 55th Reg. Capt. Gardiner, 25th Reg.4 Copies Capt. Glynn, of Bodmin, Z. Mrs. Glynn, Z. Mr. Glynn, Z. Lieut. Graves, Royal Navy Lieut. Gordon, Queen's Reg. Lieut. Groves, ditto Lieut. Garfide, 59th Reg. Lieut. Gore, 33d Reg. Lieut, C xxi ) Lieut. Gibfon, Effex Militia Lieut. Adam Gordon, 67th Reg. Lieut. J. Gordon, ditto Lieut. Gem, 19th Reg. Lieut. Grant, ditto Lieut. W. Grant, 55th Reg. Cornet Graham, 3d Dragoon Guards, Z. Enfign Gayer, 67 th Reg. Enfign Godfrey, 3 2d Reg. Dr. Graham. M. D. Royal Reg, Mr. Groves, 67 th Reg. Mr. Griffiths, Turnham Green, Z. Mr. Godfrey, Z. Mifs Godfrey, Z. Mr. Goring, Z. Mr. Gafcoyne, Z. Mr. Goodenough, Tax Office, Z. Mr. Goddard, Royal Navy Mr. Goate, ditto Mr. Green, ditto Rev. Mr. Green, Colchefter, Rev. Mr. Graves, Claverton Rev. Mr. Guy, Chichefter Mr. Guy, ditto Mr. W. Guy, ditto Mrs. Greenwood, Winchefter Mr. Gregory, Conful at Malaga Mr. Gretten, Colchefter Mr. Grana, Malaga Mr. Grey, Alicant Mr. Griffiths, Chichefter. b'3 , H. ( xxii ) H, Earl of Hopetouri,- L. Right Hon. Lord Herbert,, Z, Right Hon. Lady Louifa Harvey, Z, Mr, Harvey, Z, Right Hon, W, Gerard Hamilton, Z, Hon, General Hafcourt, Z, Hon. Mrs, Harcourt, Z, Sir William Hamilton, K. B, 3 Copies Sir Henry Houghton, Bart, Z. Hon. Charles Hope, L, Hon, John Hope, L, Hon, Alexander Hope, L, Mr, Hope Hon, Mrs, Hunter Colonel Home, Royal N, B. Dragoons Major Hart, Jnnifk-illing Dragoons Major Hamilton, 1 8th Reg. Major Haynes, 59th Reg. Major Haynes, Winchester Capt. Hertzog, 17th Reg. Capt, Hewgill, Coldftream Capt, Hawley, King's Dragoon Guards Capt. Harrifon, Effex Militia Capt, Home, 48th Reg, Capt. Hely, nth Reg. Capt, Haig, 35th Reg. Capt, Howorth, Royal Artillery, L, Capt, Hayes, nth Dragoons Lieut. Hext, 2 2d Reg. Lieut. Hall, King's Dragoon Guards Lieut, Hall, 30th Reg, Lieut, ( xxiii ) Lieut. Hutton, Royal Artillery Lieut. Hamilton, ditto Lieut. Hooke; ditto Lieut. Hope, 18 th Reg. Lieut. Hewan, 25th Reg. Lieut. Haven, 50th Reg. Lieut. Hill, 68th Reg. Lieut. Hamilton, ditto Lieut. Harnage, nth Dragoons Enfign Hucks, 2 2d Reg". Z. . Enfign Hinde, 25th Reg. Enfign Hawes, 59th Reg. Enfign Hinuber, 63 th Reg. Cornet Hunter, King's Dragoon Guards Cornet Hamilton, Royal N. B. Dragoons Enfign Hinde, 55th Reg. Enfign Horsford, 67 th Reg. Enfign Hartley, ditto Mr. Hamilton, Queen's Dragoon Guards Mr. Hudfon, Commiflloner at Gibraltar Mrs. Hudfon Mr. Harris, Royal Navy Mr. Hughes, ditto Mr. Horton, ditto, 4 Copies Mr. Halliday, ditto Rev. Mr. Harrifon, Effex Rev. Mr. Hewitt, Colchefter Dr. Heriot, M. D. Jerfey Mr. Home, Writer to the Signet Mrs. Holt, Chefter Mrs. Home, Winchefter Mrs. Heathfield, Chichefter ' b 4 Mrs. ( xxiv, ) Mrs. Hay, of Mountblainy Mr. Heathfieid, of Nutwell, Z. Mr, A. Heathfieid Mr. Horfey, Gibraltar Mr. Hamilton, of Wifhaw,. Z* Mr, Harcourt, Edinburgh Mr, Hume, ditto Mr. D. Hamilton, ditto Mr. Hadley, Effex, Z. Mr, Hodfon, Malaga Mr. Huclin, ditto Mr. Hoffman, ditto Mr. Hounfom, Funtington Mr. Henchman, Chefter Mr. Hamilton, of Grange Mr. Hamilton, of Pencaitland Mr. Heigelin, Naples Mr. Hayley, Chichefter Mr. Heming, ditto Mr. G. Heming, ditto Mr. Hatcher, Gofport Mr. Havens, Colchefter Mr. R. Havens, ditto Mr.Haffard, ditto I, Colonel Johnfton, 17th Reg. Colonel Jones Major Jordain, Z. Capt, Johnfton, 59th Reg. Z, Capt, Jones, Queen's Reg, Capt. Imrie, Royal Reg. Lieut, Lieut. Johnfton, 17 th Reg. Enfign Ironfide, 68th Reg. Cornet Johnfton, Inniflcilling Dr; Enfign Jardine, 12th Reg. Rev. Mr. T. Jarvis, Devon Rev. Mr. J. Jarvis, ditto Mr. Jackfon, Z. Mr. P. Juftice, Drayton, L. Mr. Jeffrays Mr. W. Johnfton, Chichefter. K. Major Kay, 1 2th Reg. Z. Lieut. Kelly, 3 2d Reg. Lieut. Karr, ditto Lieut. Kelly, 68th Reg. Lieut. Kerfteman, Royal Engine Lieut. Kingfbury, Effex Militia Lieut. R. Kinglbury, ditto Lieut. Knight, nth Reg. Enfign Kinglberry, Queen's Ref Enfign Kerr, 48th Reg. Rev. Mr. Keun, Smyrna Mifs Keppel, Z. Mifs Anne Keith Mifs Kinloch Mr. Kinloch Mr. A. Kinloch Mr. Keck, Wimpole-ftreet, L. Mrs. Keck, Z. Mr. Kenworthy, Z. Mr. Keeting, Z, c ( xxvi ) Mr. Kearney, Z. Mr. Kerfteman, Colchefter Mr. King, ditto Mr. Kirpatrick, Malaga1 ' L. Literary Society at Lincoln, Z. Duke of Leinfter, Z.' Right Hon. Lord George .Lennox,1 3 Z. Right Hon. Lady Louila Lennox, 3 Z. Right Hon. Lady Charlotte Lenox, Z. Colonel Lenox, Z. Hon. General Leflie*, Z. Hon. David Leflie Hon. Robert Lindfey Hon. Mrs. Lindfey Commodore Lutwidge Mr. Richard Lee/ Smyrrfay id Copies. Mr. Edward Lee, ditto, 10 Copies Capt. Lane, 321! Reg. Capt. Lawfon, Royal Artillery Lieut. Lane, King's Dragoon Guards Lieut. Lifter, ditto Lieut. Lynn, Marines Lieut. Lumfden, 55th Reg. Lieut. Lyne, 19th Reg. Mr. Lavie, Royal Navy Enfign Lewin, 50th Reg, Enfign Lowe, ditto Enfign Lucas, 68th Reg. Cornet Lyons, 1 ith Dragoons Cornet Lambe, King's Light Dragoons Cornet ( xxvii ) Cornet Le Mafchaht, Inniflcilling Dragoons Elnfign Lloyd, nth Reg. Dr. Lend, 19th Reg. Mr. Lee, 17 th Reg. Mr. H. Lynne, Royal Navy Mr. Lamborn, ditto, 4 Copies Mr. Lawrence, ditto, 2 Copies Mr. Lee, Lymftori, Z. Rev. Mr. Lee Mrs. Lindegrene, Portfmouth Mr. Lovelace, Malaga, 2 Copies Mr. Lovejoy, ditto Mr. Lagafiicke, Devon ' Mr. Lewis Mr. Lewis A, B, Colchefter Mr, Lys, Gofport. M. Duke of Marlborough, Z, Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, Z, Vifcount Mountftuart, Z, Sir William Maxwell, Bart. Sir John Macpherfon, Bart, Sir John Maxwell, Bart. Hon. George H, Monfon, Z, . Hon. Mifs Mackay Hon, Mifs Georgina Mackay Mrs. Meynell, Z. Mrs, Milbanke, Z.. General Martin Colonel Maifter, M. P. Z. Mr. Morier, Smyrna, 10 Copies Mr, ( xxviii ) Mr. Maltafs, Smyrna, 5 Copies Colonel Maxwell, ' 30th Reg. Colonel Morris, Invalids Colonel Mercer, Royal Engineers, L. Cap:. Mann, Royal Navy Capt. G. Murray, ditto Major Mawby, 1 8th Reg. Capt. Manley, Royal Artillery Capt. Montagu, Queen's Reg. Capt. Moncrief, nth Reg. Capt. Montrefor, 18th Reg. Capt. Macartney, 32d Reg. Capt. M'Leod, 59th Reg. Capt. M'Le.n, 68th Reg. Cape. Mitchell, 1 ith Dragoons Capt. Maitland, ill Reg. of Guards Capt. Mackewan, 38th Reg: Capt. Martin, 1 2th Reg. Capt. Macleod, Royal Artillery, Z. Capt. Marriott, Effex Militia Capt. Martin, 60th Reg. Capt. Marlhall, 30th Reg. Capt. M'Cullock, ditto Captain M'Murdo, 3d Reg. Capt. Money, Royal N. Lincoln Militia Lieut. Molirieux, 25th Reg. Z. Lieut. Mackenzie, Royal Reg, Lieut. Maitland, Queen's Reg. Lieut. Maddifon, 3 2d Reg. Lieut. Maclean, 50th Reg. Lieut. Moneypenny, 68 th Reg, Lieut. Mytton, 25th Reg. Lieut. ( xxix ) Lieut. Marriott, Effex Militia Lieut. Maxwell, 48th Reg. Lieut. Montgomery, 3d Reg. Enfign Macdonald, Royal Reg. Enfign McKellar, ditto Enfign Maxwell, 1 8th Reg. Cornet Mackenzie, nth Dragoons Cornet Mathew, Royal Dragoons Enfign Marton, 2 2d Reg. Enfign Montgomery, 30th Reg. Enfign Macdonald, 1 9th Reg. Enfign McDonell, 3d Reg. Mr. M'Donald, 1 1 th Reg. Mrs. Maitland, Edinburgh Mrs. Martin, Portfrnouth, Mrs. Munn, Greenwich, Z. Mrs. Mitchell, Jerfey Mifs M'Adam, of Graigingillan Mr. Maule, Royal Navy Mr. Mitchell, ditto Dr. M'Donald, M. D. Antigua Rev. Mr. Macklin, Effex Mr. Moir, Writer to the Signet Mr. Morrifon, Gibraltar, 2 Copies Mr. Meyrick, Queen's Reg. Mr. Macdonald, Edinburgh Mr. Money penny, ditto Mr. Manning Mr. G. H. Morifner Mr. Murphy, Malaga Mr. J. S. Macnamara, ditto Mr. T. Macnamara, ditto Mr. ( xxx ) Mr. Mackintofh, Bathford, Z. Mr. Mackintolh, John-ftreet, Z. Mr. Marchetti, Naples Mr. M'Kinnon, ditto Mr. Mackay, Z. Mr. McAdam, of Dunalkire Mr. Martin, Antigua Mr. Maffie, St. John's College N. Duke of Northumberland, Z. Capt. Newland, Chichefter Capt. Nichols Lieut. Need, King's Dragoon Guards Mrs. Newte, Exmouth, Z. Rev. Mr. Nott, Z. Mr. Newman, Malaga Mr. R. Newland, Chichefter Mr. J. Newland, ditto Mr. Neven, Gibraltar Mr. Noble, Naples O. Earl of Orford, i Z. General O'Hara, 4 Copies Sir William Oglander, Bart. Z. Rev. Dr. Oglander, Z. Rev. Mr. Oglander, Z. Mr. Oglander, Z. Capt. O'Hara, Royal Navy Capt. O'Meara, 68th Reg. Capt. Oakes, 33d Reg. Capt. ( xxxi ) Capt. Otway, 48th Reg. Lieut. Ogilvie, 50th Reg. Enfign Overend, ditto Mr. Olborne, Royal Navy Mr. Ormfton, Kelfo Right Hon. Lord Paget, Z. Right Hon. Lady Caroline Peachey, Z. Right Hon. William Pitt, Z. Right Hon. Thomas Pelham, Z. Hon. William Paget, 2 Copies General Phillipfon, Z. General Piclon, Z. Admiral Peyton Commifiioner Proby, Z. Colonel Phipps, Royal Engineers, 6 Copies Mr. -Phipps, Somerfet-ftreet, Z. Colonel Pringle, Royal Engineers Capt. Peyton, Royal Navy, 2 Copies Major Polfon, Z. Mr. Polfon, Z. Major Pitcairn, 17 th Reg. Capt. Prevoft, 25th Reg. 4 Copies Capt. Peter, 23d Reg. Lieut. Probyn, 38 th Reg. Z. Lieut. Phipps, Royal Engineers, Z. Lieut. Pifton, 12th Reg. Lieut. Pell, nth Reg. Z. Lieut. Powell, 1 8th Reg. Lieut. Prevoft, 60th Reg, Lieut. Petrie, 3d Reg. Lieut. ( xxxii ) Lieut. Prevoft, ditto Enfign Philpot, Queen's Reg. Enfign Peep Rev. Dr. Pennington, D. D. Mrs. Pennington Rev. Mr. Phillips, Devonfhire Mr. Peachey, Binderton Mrs. Peachey Mifs Pulteney Mifs Polluck, Lincoln Mrs. E. Pownoll, Drayton, Z» Mrs. Peckbam, Chichefter Mr. Partridge, Royal Navy Mr. Phipps, ditto Mr. Peters, ditto Mr. Palmer, ditto Mr. Pulk, Z. Mr. Perring, Z. Mr. Proby, Inner Temple Mr. Piele, Harcourt Buildings Mr. Plowes, Malaga, 2 Copies Mr. M. Power, ditto Mr. J. Power, ditto Mr. Plunket, ditto Lieut. Quin, 35th Reg. Mr. T. Quilty, Malaga Mr. J. Quilty, ditto Duke ( xxxiii ) R. Dtlke of Richmondi 2 Z. Duchefs of Richmond, Z. 5 Copies Right Hon. Lady Reay Sir Thomas Rumboldj Bart. 2 Z. Lady Rumbold, Z. Lady Rivers Hon. Philip Roper, Li Mrs. Rigby, Roefield, 2 Z. Colonel F. Hale Rigby, Effex Militia Capt. Riddell, 3 2d Reg. 4 Copies Capt. Raitt, Queen's Reg* Capt. Richardfon, 18th Reg. Capt. Rofe, 50th Reg. Capt. James Robb, Z. Lieut. Rudfdell, nth Reg. Lieut. Ramfay, Queen's Reg. Lieut. Rainy, 1 8th Reg. Lieut. Rofs, 25th Reg. Lieut. Rowley, 68 th Reg. Lieut. Reeves, Royal Reg. Z. Lieut. Rowley, Royal Engineers Enfign Robertfon, Royal Reg. Enfign Raleigh, Queen's Reg. Enfign Raleigh, nth Reg. Enfign Robertfon, 3 2d Reg. Enfign Richardfon, 35th Reg, Enfign Rogers, 3d keg. Mr. Ruffell, 30th Reg. Mr. Robinfon, Adjutant of Gibraltar Mr. Rhodes, King's Dragoon Guards Rev. Mr. Roufe, Z. c Mr. ( xxxiv ) Mr. Raleigh, Gibraltar Mr. Rofs, Z. Mr. Ramus, Z. Mr. Rofs, Gibraltar Mr. A. Rofs, Ordnance, Gibraltar Mr. A. Rofs, Gibraltar Mrs. Rebow, Colchefter Mrs. Ruth, ditto Mr. Round, ditto Mr. Reynolds, Effex Mr. Round, ditto Mr. Rum, Colchefter Mr. Rofden Mr. W. Raper, Chichefter S. Countefs of Sutherland, Z. Right Hon. Lady Saltoun, 2 Copies Right Hon. Lord Southampton, L. Right Hon. Lady Madelina Sinclair, Z. Sir Robert Sinclair, Bart. Z. Lady Sinclair Mifs Sinclair, Z. Dr. Sinclair, M. D. Mr. Sinclair Hon. Capt. Stopford, Royal Navy Hon. G. A. Chetwynd Stapylton, Z. Hon. Mrs. Chetwynd Stapylton, Z. Mrs. Stapylton, Z. Hon. Cornet Southwell, Z. Mr. Steele, M. P. 2 Z. Mr. Steele, Recorder of Chichefter, Z. Mrs. ( XXXV ) Mrs. Steele, Chichefter, Z. Mr- Scottney, Z. Mr. Sargent, Lavingtonj Z, Mrs. Sargent, Z. Capt. Sudierland, Royal Navy, 2 Copies Capt. Smith, ditto Major Schaw, 68th Reg. Major Strutt, 60th Reg. Major Sladden, 67th Reg. Capt. Snowe, 64th Reg. Capt. John Smith, Royal Artillery Capt. Scott, Royal Reg. Capt. St. Clair, 25th Reg. 2 Copies Capt. Shaw, 35th Reg. Capt. Smith, Invalids Capt. Smith, 25th Reg. 2 Z. Capt. Smith, Marlborough-ftreef, Z. Capt. Skinner, Royal Engineers, Z. Capt. Scott, of Rofebank Capt. Semple, 44th Reg. Z, Capt. Sperling, Effex Militia Capt. Shipley, Royal Engineers Capt. Sherret, 19th Reg. Capt. Syer, King's Dragoon Guards Lieut. J. Skinner, Royal Navy Lieut. Stratton, ditto Lieut. Sheldrake, Royal Artillery Lieut. Skyring, ditto Lieut. Shrapnel 1, ditto Lieut. Sebright, 1 8th Reg. Lieut. Scott, 3 2d Reg. Lieut. Stewarty 25th Reg. 2 Copies c 2 Lieut. ( xxxvi ) Lieut. Sturgeon, Marines Lieut. Smart, Royal Engineers Lieut. Serjeantfon, King's Dragoon Guards Lieut. Saumarez, 8th Reg. Lieut. Stratton, 67th Reg. Lieut. Smith, 30th Reg. Lieut. Sparrow, Effex Militia Enfign St. George, -nth Reg. Cornet Shelly, nth Dragoons Enfign Shirley, 67th Reg. Enfign Sinclair, 3d Reg. Mr. Shapter, Royal N. B. Dragoons Mr. Smith, Denbigh Militia Rev. Mr. Shillilo, Colchefter Rev. Mr. Sandys, Effex Mr. Smith, Ordnance, Z. Mr. Snipe, Royal Navy Mr. Scott, ditto, Mr. Simpfon, ditto Mr. Smith, ditto Mr. J. W. Skinner, ditto Mr. Sneyd, ditto Mr. Starck, ditto, 4 Copies Mr. Scrivener, Z, Mr. Stables, Z. Mr. Storey, Z. Mr. Saumarez, Guernfey Mrs. Sperling, Colchefter Mr. Simpfon, Ruffian Conful at Gibraltar Mr. A. Simpfon, Gibraltar, L. Mr. Smith, ditto Mr. Stones, ditto Mr. ( xxxvii ) Mr. Sweatland, ditto Mr. W. Simpfon, ditto Mr. Smith, Bury St. Edmunds Sir George Thomas, Bart. Z. Mr. Tierney, M. P. Z. Mifs E. S. Tayler, Z. . Colonel Teafdale, Z. Major Trench, 38th Reg. Capt. Timms, 44th Reg. Z. Capt. Tweedie, 1 2th Reg. Capt. Trotter, King's Dragoon Guards Capt. J. Thompfon Capt. J. Tiddy Lieut. Tireman, Royal Navy Lieut. Teefdale, 25th Reg. 2 Copies Lieut. Turner, 3d Dragoon Guards, Z. Lieut. Thorley, 44th Reg. Lieut. Tyndale, King's Dragoon Guards Enfign Tomlinfon, 30th Reg, Cornet Thomas, nth Dragoons Mr. Taylor, 3 2d Reg. Mr. Taylor, 67th Reg. Mr. Thompfon, 30th Reg, Rev. Mr. Tireman, Chichefter^ 2 Copies Rev. Cook Tylden Mr. Teppet, Royal Navy Mr. J. G. Thompfon, ditto Mr. Trownfell, ditto Mr. R. Thompfon, ditto Mr. Tait, Edinburgh , :•: c 3 Mr. ( xxxviii ) Mr. Travers, Z. Mr. Tylburn, Colchefter Mr. Tabor, ditto Mr. Tyffen, Effex Mr. Tylden Mr. Tinling, Gofport Mr. Tobin, Malaga, 4 Copies U. Earl of Uxbridge, .2 Z. Countefs of Uxbridge, Z. Capt. Urquhart, 30th Reg. Mr. Upfman, Royal Navy Mr. C. Upham, Exeter. V. Colonel Vyfe, King's Dragoon Guards Lieut. Vefey, nth Reg. Lieut. Vaffell, 59th Reg. Lieut. Vaughan, ditto, Z. Lieut. Vanfittart, 38th Reg. Lieut. Vincent, 19th Reg. Dr. Veitch, Clithero, Z. Mr. Vaughan Mr, Vaughan, Gibraltar W. Earl of Winchelfea, 2 Z. Vifcountefs Wicklow, Z. Sir John Wrottefly, Bart. Sir James Wemyfs, Bart. Hon. Mr. Walpole, Z, 2 Mr. ( xxxix ) Mr. Watfon, of New Saughton, Z. Mr. Wallace, of Carlton Hall, Z. Colonel Walker, Royal Artillery Major Wilfon, Colchefter, 2 Copies Major Wauchope, 50th Reg. Capt. Warre, Royal Navy Capt. Williamlbn, 25th Reg. 4 Copies Capt. Wright, ditto, 4 Copies Capt. Wilfon, 59th Reg. Capt. Wilkinfon, 67th Reg. Lieut. Wade, 25th Reg. 2 Copies Lieut. White, 32d Reg. Lieut. Wilfon, 50th Reg. Lieut. Waugh, 68 th Reg. Lieut. Weftroppe, Marines Lieut. Wilfon, 48th Reg. Lieut. Willimot, 3d Reg. Lieut. Wigley, Royal N. B. Dragoons Cornet Webb, Queen's Dragoon Guards Enfign Wolfeley, 18th Reg. Enfign Wogan, 12th Reg. Dr. Walker, Edinburgh Dr. Watfon, Kelfo Mrs. Webber, Chichefter, Z. Mrs. Willis Mr. H. R. Williams, Royal Navy, 4 Copies Mr. C. Williams, ditto, 2 Copies Mr. Wright, Royal Navy Mr. Wilfon, ditto Mr. Walker, ditto Mr. Watts, ditto Mr. Williams, Z. c 4 Mr. ( xl ) Mr, Welch, Z. Mr. White, 3 Copies Mr. Williamfon, Z. Mr. J. Williams, Exeter, Lt Mr. H. Woodfall, Cadiz Mr. Winter, Gibraltar Mr. Williams, ditto Mr. Whitfield, Wenlock Mr. Wood, Chichefter Mr. W. Sinclair Wemyfs Mr. Wiftrer, Colchefter Mr. Walfond, Dominica Mr. Worfeley, Malaga Mr. Wilfon, Pontefract Y. Right Hon. Lady Elizabeth Yorke Hon. Philip Yorke Colonel Yorke, 33d Reg. Capt. Yorke, Royal Artillery Lieut. Youftg, Royal Navy, 4 Copies Mr. Young, ditto Mr. Yorfton, Gibraltar, fgj3 The Subfcribers marked Z. fubfcribed to the Guinea Edition, which the Author had not determined to pubklh till after he had collected the fubfcriptions at Gibraltar, CONTENTS, CONTENTS. LETTER I. Page QE Ut 'A— Goths and Saracens — Alme- rla — Rocks of AbiBo - - - i LETTER H. Carthagenfi — War of the Succeffion - 12 LETTER III. Reception at Cagliari — Lucilla - - 24 LETTER xlii CONTENTS. LETTER IV. Page Churches — Ball at the Palace — Trade 3 &c. of Sardinia ------ yj LETTER V. IJland of Capria — Tiberius — Malonia •« 46 LETTER VI. Excurfion to Baia ---..- 4^ LETTER VII, : Mount Vefuvius — The Hermit — Bay of Naples -------*.„ 64 LETTER VIII. Capo de Monte — Portici — Herculaneum — 1 Pompeia ___--___ ye LETTER IX. Cajertta — St. Januarius — Opera — Go vernment ------*-- 86 LETTER CONTENTS. jcliii LETTER X. Page Vifit Ho the King of Naples at Caftello Mare — The £>ueen — Coaft of Salerno — Peftum -------- 97 LETTER XL Lipari I/lands —Volcano of Strombolo - 106 LETTER XII. Mejfma — Earthquake — Scylla and Cha ry bdis— Sir George Byng — Commodore Walton - - ----.- j 12 LETTER XIII. A fireball — Zante — Ithaca — Promontory of Leucate — Turks and Greeks - - 1 24 LETTER XIV. Pirates —Milo — Paroj: — Attica — Sunium 1 39 LETTER xliv CONTENTS. LETTER XV. Page Smyrna — Great Advantages to be derived from the Turkey Trade — Neceffity of a regular Lazaretto in England - 15 g LETTER XVI. Caufe of the War — ^be Ruffian MinifteY is Jent to the Seven Towers — Turkifh Manifefio — Attempt on Kimbourn — A Ruffian Ship of Jixty-four guns gives herfelf up to the Turks — Ambitious Views of the two Imperial Courts — The Inter eft- of England greatly endan gered by them — Neceffity of our oppofing the Emprejs --,._.,_- 169 LETTER XVII. Journey to Ephejus—The poor Girl — Caravanjera — Temple of Diana— Cha racter of the Turkijh Minifters — • The Vice-Admiral of the Porte be headed * - _-___ 1 go LE TIER CONTENTS. xlv LETTER XVIII. Page Scyros — ldra — Hiftory oj Athens - - 209 LETTER XIX. Prefent State of Athens— Battle of Ma rathon --------- 225 LETTER XX. Greek and Mahometan Religion - - 241 LETTER XXI. Voyage from Athens to Leghorn - - 258 LETTER XXII. Journey from Leghorn to Florence — Go vernment of Peter Leopold— Public Ornaments — Palaces, Ricardi and Ger- rini ----- ___- 263 LETTER XXIII. Gallery of Florence ------275 LETTER Xlvi CONTENTS. LETTER XXIV. Page IJland of Elba— Mount Vefuvius - - 292 LETTER XXV. Voyage to Palermo — Grotefque Statues — • Funeral of-Prince-Palagonia - - 297 LETTER XXVI. Attempt upon Belgrade — The Emperor de clares War — Operations in Croatia — Prince Lichtenftein defeated by the Turks — The Emperor takes the Field in P erf on — The Prince of Moldavia defer ts from the Turks ---___ J07 LETTER XXVII. The Prince of Saxe Cobourg invefts Choc- zim — Siege of Oczakow — Marjhal Laudohn — Political Qbfervations — Meadia taken by the Turks— The Grand Vizir defeats the Emperor - - - 325 LETTER CONTENTS. xlvii LETTER XXVIII. Page Pajfage through the Dardanelles — Con- ftantinople - - - - - - - 346 LETTER XXIX. Conclusion of the Campaign 1788 - - 360 Aivertifement ------- ^9 A TQUR A TOUR FROM GIBRALTAR T 0 CONSTANTINOPLE. LETTER I. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Carthagena, Augufl 14th. MY DEAR FRIEND, jN compliance with your requeft, I I have. kept a regular Journal of my Voyage, which I now inclofe you : Tuefday, Auguft 7th, Noon. At eight o'clock, yefterday morning, we left Gibraltar, with a contrary wind ; and^on the firft tack, we patted Ceuta, d place of no great intrinfic value, and B but 2J A TOUR but an indifferent port. It is fituated on a pe;wnibla of Africa, which, with Gibraltar, Spartel and Traflagar, forms the Straits, and is fo ftrongly fortified by Nature* that, although the Moors have often befieged it, it has withftood all their efforts. Count Julian was Governor of this place, at the time Roderigo< ravilhed his daughter, the beautiful Cava. The Count, inflamed with rage at the dis honor perpetrated on his family, and diftraeted at the ruin of his own child, forgot his duty to his country, which no private injuries can excufe^ and en gaged to put the Moors in pofleffion of Spain, if they would revenge him on his abandoned Monarch, It is no.t eafy t& determine who were the firft inhabitants of Spain.. We know that it was fubdued by the Carthaginians' before the Chriftian sera, and that they 2 were to const antinople: 3 were Conquered by the Romans ; who, in their turn, yielded to the Goths^ from whom Roderigo Was defcended, At this time, the Saracens (the name the followers" of Mahomet affirmed; emi grating from Arabia; had overrun the neighbouring parts 6f Africa, which they have kept poffeflxofi 6f ever fince.' To' thefe people^ Count Julian,* with great truths repfefented Roderic a§ a Prince ^niverfally detefted,' and whofe tyranny promifed a general iflfurfedHori among the Goths.' The Saraeefi Chief at firft doubted the Count's fincefity, but at laft feat over a large army,- which gained a - ¦ ¦ complete victory over Roderigo, who was killed in the action ; and the whole eountry fubmkted to the Moors. Bivifions arifing among, the conquerors, tiifr-nativesj in lefs than fix years, again appeared in arms, and the Saracens gra- B z dually 4 A TOOK dually . declined for near two centuriesv Almanzor then arofe, and, by his repeated victories, revived the affairs of his coun trymen : But, on the death of this great General, the Chriftians again made head, and reduced the Moors, to fuch ftraits, that, although Mahomet Ben Jofeph, Sovereign of Barbary, came over, to their afliftance with all his forces, he was en tirely defeated. A. D. 1 2 1 2. The fame diffenfions, however, which had ruined the Saracens, now broke out among the Chriftians, and en abled the former to fhelter themfelves in Grenada, the only province now re maining to them in Spain. Here they continued till the different monarchies which had been erected on their ruin, were all, except Navarre, united under Ferdinand and Ifabella. Gre- A.D. 1492. nada .was then taken ; but the Moors were- allowed to remain in the country, as fubjects, till the reign of Philip the TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 5 the Third, who, in apprehenfion of an * ~ , infurrection: banifhed them en- A.D. 1602. , tirely from out of his kingdom. The depopulation which this meafure oceafiohed, is fenfibly felt to the prefent day. Count Julian was himfelf * put to death by the Moors, on a fufpicion that fie intended to defert their caufe. His fate afforded lis an ample field for re flection. •"¦ "We continued our courfe along the Barbary more till midnight. We were then obliged to tack, and are now oppofite Malaga, twenty leagues from Gibraltar. Thisy confidering that the wind has been conftantly eafterly, is no bad fpecimen of ©ur failing. On the fpot we are pafling, Sir George -Rooke, foon after he had taken Gibraltar, " engaged the Grand Fleet of France, con futing of fifty-two fail of the line. The - Englifh and Dutch had -as many fhips; B3 but 6 A TOIIR but the French, being later from port, were much better manned, and in fup&y Auguft 13, rior condition. The battle lafted x7°4- all the day. Both fides fuffered a very feyere lofs in men ; but not one veflel was, taken or deftroyed. Eacti claimed the victory ; but the French Ad? mirals took care not to face us again during the whole of the war. Auguft 8th and 9th. Calms and light eafterly winds. The fea, for feyeral miles round us, is entirely covered with the fpawn of fifh. Phiio-, fophers have not been able tp determine how thefe animals are engendered : I will therefore pafs them over. The Grenada . mountain? rife to a flupendous height on, pur left, and, even at this late feafon, their heads are covered with fnow. Auguft 10th, Noon. We have been, all this morning? irj. fight of Almeria. The fhore, for two or three TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 7 thre6 leagues on each fide, is ahnoft flat, with a very fine beach ; but thee town it- felf difplays all the variety of hitt» dale and water. It ftand« on a river, whole banks feem in high cultivation, and are over-hung by prodigious mountains; whilft the low ground, particularly to the eaft, rifes in a gradual flope, covered with groves and avenues of olive, and cork trees, interfperfed with vines and green canes. This beautiful fpof forms a kind 6f ampEitheatre, enclofed by the Grena dines, whofe rugged fummits appear al- rnoft inaccefiible, On a fteep afcent, at the Weft end of the town, ftands a large Moorifh caftle, in very good repair, At prefent it is only refpedtable for its antiquity ; but, in 1 1 47, it made a moft vigorous defence againft Conrad the Third, affifted by the French, Genoefe, and Pifans ; and, after a glorious refiftance, it was taken by afTault, and all the Moors moft inhumanly put to 8 4 death, 8 A TOUR death. Vaft riches were found in the place, particularly the famous Agate fhip, which is ftill fhewn by the Genoefe, as one of the moft valuable curiofities in Genoa, The caftle of Almeria is an exact copy of that at Gibraltar, and, like it, is commanded by an height immediately above it, Dufk. Early in the afternoon, a breeze fprang up, and we are now off Cape de Gatt, about fix leagues, from Al meria, and fifty-two ffrom~GibraItar. On the point, the Spaniards have a fmafl barbette battery. The land, for fome miles op each fide, is almoft perpendicu lar ; but, although we are near a league from the fhore, we have foundings in fixteen fathoms. . The eafterly wind con tinuing, we have juft tacked, and are ftanding tp the South. Auguft nth. In the morning, we made Abido, an ifland of roGks, on the Barbary fhore, 3 Lat, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. g Lat. 350 44', Long. 51' W. and, in the afternoon, paffed between the ifland and the main, which no Britifh fhip, I be lieve, ever did before. The paffage is barely three leagues wide ; but the fhal- loweft water, three' quarters of a mile from the rocks, was thirjty-feven fathoms^ The wind being contrary, we were fe*. veral hours in working through- ' Auguft 1 2th. During laft night, we croffed, from the African to the Spa'niuVfhore^ where the wind has left us in a calm. Auguft 13 th, Mid-day. We are now in fight of Almazaron, a fcattered village, at the bottom of a fmall bay, well flanked by fome little works on the cliffs on each fide. At 4 P. M. tacked in fifteen fathoms water, one mile off Cape Tignofe. On the weft fide of this point, there is good anchorage, well fhel- tered from the eaft wind. The Spaniards have 10 A TOUR have a white tower on the point, on which they have mounted two or three fmall guns ; and, indeed, we have fcarce feen a fpot on the coaft of Spain, that a boat could land on, but what is defended by a tower or a little battery. Slight as ,thefe works appear, they not only check the fmugglers, but have frequently been of fervice in protecting the coafters from the depredations of the Barbary corfiurs^ while they alfo communicate intelligence, by fignals, from one extremity of the kingdom to the other, in very few hours. Tuefday, Auguft 14th. J ^ The wind blowing hard from the Eaft, with a heavy fwell, we have an-r chored off the mouth of Carthagena harbour. Notwithftanding the adverfe winds, nothing could be more pleafant than our voyage. We have croffed the Mediter- ranean T© CONSTANTINOPLE. i| y-anean feveral times* but have never been; more than twelve hours out .of fight of fend; and the weather, till lafl; night, was fo moderate, that not a foul has been fca fickj, ^ The Spaniards have been remarkably civil, They have made a thoufand apolo gies |pr putting us under quarantine, and have promifed to fend us every thing we may want. Qarthagena is in Lat. 370 42', Long. 58' W. two hundred and fifty miles from Gibraltar. It was buijt by Afdru-, bal, from whofe country it took its name. I will be more particular in ray next letter. LETTER 12 A TOUR LETTER II. If; TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Carthagena, Auguft 15 th. MY DEAR FRIEND, 'TpHE entrance of this harbour is not more than fix hundred yards wide, and is flanked by about thirty guns on the eaft fide, and two-and-twenty on the weft : But, as troops coming from the town, muft take a confiderable circuit round the water, I imagine that, on a fudden attack, thefe batteries would not be nianned inlefs than two hours. I can difcern no embrazures on the line wall towards the fea ; but, on the pier without the gates, there is a low battery of fifty heavy guns, to defend the entrance of the bafon at the weft end of the town. This paffage has no defence on the op- pofite fide, but is fcarce fifty yards wide. The King's fhips are laid up immediately within it. At prefent, they amount to twenty- TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 13 twenty-one fail of the line, befides fri gates ; but they are fo clofely lafhed to gether, that, if one took fire, the whole, in all probability, would be confumed. None of them are coppered, nor have they any mafts ftanding ; and, although Carthagena is the fecond naval arfenal in Spain, nothing like a man of war in any readinefs for fervice, is here to be feen, except a fmall copper-bottomed brig, and a few galleys : of thefe the brig only is in commiffion *. . ,,The dock-yard is contiguous to the Jbafon, and both are commanded by fe deral , heights. , Two of thefe are fecured by redoubts ; the reft are intrufted to croffes. The works round the city are, I * This was only four weeks before the French AmbafTador delivered the hoftile declaration, which, to the honor of our country, his Court was com pelled to retract, and proves, that nothing had been pre-concerted with Spain, relative to the fuccours to be given to the French faction in Holland. believe, 14 A T 0 UR believe, but Weak ; and there are feveraf fine landing places within a day's march of the town. We felt much obliged to the? Governor, Don Jofeph De Rocas, for his very great attention. Befides repeated offers" of his beft fervices, he fent his Aid de Camp to compliment us on our arrival, and to ex- prefs the utmoft regret, that the orders from his Court were fb ftrict, that he could not have the honor of feeing us on fhore, until we had performed a te dious quarantine ; but, in the mean while, if we were difpofed to amufe ourfelves in the harbour, he would fend a boat to fhew us every thing we wifhed, and would do all in his power, to make our ftay as pleafant as poflible. We thanked him for his kindnefs and civility, and, in return, determined to give him no trouble. As the Englifh were once in poffeflion of Carthagena, and I may have frequent — occafion TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 15 occafion to mention the operations of the Britifh arms in the Mediterranean, to pre vent repetition, I will recite, in as few words as poffible, the rife, progrefs, and conclufion of the War of the Succeflkm. Ferdinand and Ifabella were fucceeded, in 1 5 15, by their grandfon, the famous Charles, afterwards Emperor of Ger many. Charles, in 1556, refigned his crown to his fon, Philip II. whofe grand fon, Philip IV. had iffue, Charles, Maria Therefa, and Margaret. Maria Therefa married Louis XIV. of France, who was ^compelled to refign every pretention he ¦might afterwards have to Spain, in con sequence of this marriage ; and Margaret was given to the Emperor Leopold. Philip IV. was fucceeded by his fon Charles II. who feemed likely to leave no iffue. Louis XIV. therefore apprehending that, at the death of this King, a great conteft would arife for the crown of Spain, l6 A TOUR Spain, entered into a fecret treaty witfc William III. and the Dutch, for the par tition of its dominions : by which it was agreed, that all the Spanifh territories in Italy, the province of Guipufcoa in Spain, and the duchies of Lorrain and Bar, fhould devolve to the Dauphin ; whilft the kingdom of Spain, and Spanifh Ame rica, fhould be given to the Archduke Charles, the Emperor's fecond fon, the eldeft being already provided for. It is to be obferved, that thefe fons were by the Emperor's fecond marriage, Margaret and all her iffue being dead. The Dauphin would therefore have been the undoubted heir apparent, had not his father, on his marriage, renounced his right. The Spaniards, who were fo nearly concerned, knew nothing of . this Par tition Treaty. Soon after its conclufion, Charles II. of Spain died, and, by his will, left all his dominions to Philip, Duke of A/ijpu, the Dauphin's fecond fon. Louis;, . t immediately TO CONSTANTINOPLE, if immediately fent his grandfon to afcend the throne. This was a breach of the Partition Treaty, which William deter^ mined to oppofe ; but dying at this crifis, War was declared by Queen Anne, who, in conjunction with the Emperor Leopold and the Dutch, fet up the Archduke Charles, in oppofition to the Duke of Anjou. In this War feveral other Powers took part. Sir George Rooke and' the Duke of Ormond were fent to Cadiz, in hoped that the Andalufians would declare for Charles : but they refufed to acknowlege him ; and the Englifh, thinking the town too ftrong to be carried by force, re- embarked. On their return, Sir George and the Duke, hearing that a fquadron of French men of war, with a very valuable convoy, had put into Vigo, determined to attack them : which they ©a. 1702. . executed With the moft bril liant fuccefs. Ten line-of-battle ftiips arid C eleven I 8 ., ; , . A tour: eleven galleons were taken, and fix gal leons and five fail of the line, burnt, be fides many f mailer veffels. In 1704, the Archduke embarked on board the Confederate Fleet, and, after an- unfuccefsful attempt on Barcelona, fet off for Lifbon, the Portuguefe having efpoufed his caufe againft Philip. In the- mean while, Sir George took Gibraltar, and engaged Count Thouloufe off Ma laga. Gibraltar was immediately befieged by the French and Spaniards, but was re— lieved by Admiral Leake,- in 1705, who* took a line-of-battle fhip,, and burnt four more. Charles again embarked on board' our fleet, at Altea Bayy with Lord Peter- borough, and the Prince of Heffe Darm- ftadt. The Prince was repulfed and killed' at. the affault of Fort Montjuic, at Barce lona ; but Lord Peterborough inftantly renewed the attack, and carried the fort. The town furrendered 2 foon TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 10 foon after; Lord Peterborough marched directly into Valentia, and, in a few months, with fcarce fix thoufahd Englifh troops, overrun the greateft part of Spain, and entered Madrid in triurnph. His ftay there* however, was but fhort ; for he was obliged to return to the affiftance of King Charles^ who was now befieged in Barcelona, by General Teffe : but, on the Earl's approach, the Frertch General raifed the fiege with the Utmoft precipi- April, 1706. tation' IeatrinS aIi his baSgage* camp equipage, artillery and wounded men behind hini. Victory, throughout this campaign, was the con- ftant attendant on the Britifh arms. The . town of Alicant vaas taken by June 28. } affault ; and the citadel furren- dered next day. Carthagena having of fered to acknowlege Charles, a detach ment was fent to fecure it. Majorca and Ivica furrendered foon after. But the eminent fervices of the Earl of Peterborough not gaining him a proper C 2 influence 20 ''A TOUR influence in the- AdminiftrafiOn, he re-' figned his command, and was fucceeded by Lord Galway, a brave man. But, by the mifmanagement of King Charles, his affairs fell into great confufion ; and Lord. Galway, being obliged to engage the enemy under many difadvantages at Al-: April 14, manza, was entirely defeated." 1707. rpjie confequences of this vic tory gave Philip a decided fuperiority in Spain., In the mean while, the Duke of Marl borough having carried ail before hirri in Flanders, and the Duke of Savoy having; driven the enemy out of his dominions, it was refolvei^, that the army under his Highnefs' s command in Italy, affifted by the fleet in the Mediterranean, fhould be- fiege Toulon : but the Emperor Jbfeph, who had fucceeded his father Leopold, withdrawing his forces to .befiege Naples', and the French making a fuc- cefsful fally, in which they 1 burnt TO CONSTANTINOPLE. %\ burnt all the batteries, the Allies were obliged to raife the fiege. -Nothing remarkable was done in Spain in 1708. Our army was reinforced, and the enemy's diftreffed by the capture of a large convoy of provifions. Cagliari, the capital, and the whole ifland of Sardinia, fubmitted to King Charles ; Minorca wais taken by General Stanhope, and Naples furrendered to the Emperor. Next year, Alicant was taken by the enemy. The rock on which the citadel flood, was defended for feveral months, by JVlajor General Richards, with the moft romantic valour, but was April, 1709. *^ at laft undermined and blown up. The General, and moft of the prin cipal Officers, having purpofely expofed thernfelves, to animate the garrifon to ftamd the threatened fhock, were loft in the explofion ; but the furvivors, under Colonel D'Allon, defended themfelveS C 3 till 22 A TOUR. till the Britifh fleet arrived and carried them off. During the remainder of the war, Charles's affairs continued to decline ; ^nd his fuccefs at Sarragoffa and Al- manara was balanced by a defeat at Villa Viciofa, and the capture of General Stanhope's army at Brihuega. At this juncture, his brother died, and Charles, fucceeding to the empire of Germany (171 1), left Spain; buf his partizans, affifted by the Englifh under the Duke of Argyle, kept poffeffipn of Barcelona, and the greateft part pf Cata lonia, till the peace of Utrecht in 1 7 1 3. By this treaty, Charles refigned his pretenfions to Spain ; but, in addition to the empire, he retained Sardinia, Naples, Milan, and the Spanifh Netherlands, Sicily was given to the Duke of Savoy, with the title of King; together with Feneftrelles, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 23 Feneftrelles, and fome other places taken from the French- The Dutch got their Barrier ; the Englifh, only Minorca and Gibraltar, with fome fettlements in North America. Pruffia got Upper Gueldres. Philip, Duke of Anjou, was declared King -of ;Spain : but, to prevent that kingdom and France from ever beiiig -united under one head, Philip was obliged to renounce every future .claim to France; whilft the Dukes vof Berry ;and Orleans were obliged to .do the fame by Spain. I with much to enlarge on the gallant ¦exploits of the Earl of Peterborough, the heroic defence of General Richards, and the noble fpirit of the Catalonians after they were abandoned by the Emperor and Queen Ann to the chaftifement of Philip ; but the hounds prefcribed to a journal will not permit me.. €4 LETTER 2>{. A TOM LETTER IIJ, TO CAPTAIN SMITH, Ogliari, September ill. MY DEAR FRIEND, f\N the 16th of laft month, we weighed anchor off the harbour of Carthagena, and failed out of the bay, between the rock and the continent, to the great afto- nifhment of the Spaniards : but, although one might almoft fhake hands with them on each fide, there is no danger in a fteady breeze ; for the fhore is fo bold, that, whilft we had foundings in four* teen fathoms on one fide of the fhip, wie found no bottom with a line of twenty on the other, The wind favoured us for fbme hours; but, before night, it got back to its old quarter, the eaft, and continued there, with TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 2£ with little variation, till the 23d. By this time, after having had a diftant view of the high land of Majorca, we were in fight of Sardinia, in Lat. 400 10', and, with the affiftance of the land breeze, got down to Cape Tolero on the 24th. In the night, we paffed two rocks, called the Bull and Cow, Lat. 3 8° 35', and, on the 25th, anchored in the bay of Cagliari, the capital, Lat. 39° 14, Long. 90 20' Eaft, diftant from Gibraltar about two hundred- and fifty leagues. - Early the next morning, we got prat- tick, with an invitation to dine with the Viceroy, Count St. Andre, Three car riages were fent to carry us to the palace. The dinner was in the French ftile, and the head difh in the fecond courfe was half a young wild boar, roafted entire : it was fuperior to any pork I ever tafted. We had no wine but at dinner, and one glafs of liqueur after the defert. The prin cipal people of the ifland were invited to meet i-6 A T O U R meet Us, and among them, the Mar- chioneffes of Villarias and Pafqua, and the Baronefs Tauolard, the three hand- fomeft of their ladies. Villarias has captured all our hearts. I have often endeavoured to form an idea of Eve in her ftate of innocence, but never fucceeded until I faw this charming Marchefa. With the firft rank and fafhion, fhe is a child of Nature, and Nature in perfection. Her limbs are moft elegantly turned, and her beautiful fhape is neither diftorted by flays, nor encumbered by a load of falfe croupion. It is impoffible to defcribe how fuch a woman moves. She is of the middle fize, and in the prime of youth. Her face is equal to her perfon, brunette, with lovely black eyes, whofe expreflion gives full force to the vivacity of her converfation. Pafqua poffeffes every attraction but that of drawing one from Villarias.. Tauolard TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 27 Tauolard is handfome and amiable,, but has not fo much of Jj 'Allegro as the other two. Their drefs is like the Englifh ; but the unnatural paffion for monftrous pro tuberances, which I am forry to hear ftill reigns among our fair countrywomen, hath not yet reached Cagliari. In their manners, the Sardinian ladies are more like the French. They fay every thing that comes uppermoft, and have no idea of referve. You kifs their hands as p. mere compliment ; and, in dancing, whenever you turn a lady, fhe expects you to put your arm round her waift, whilft her's refts on your fhoulder. This franknefs is vaftly pleafant, and is here of no evil tendency ; for, in a con fined fociety, fecluded from the general world, where the characters and their connections are thoroughly known, and where the number of the profligate is too fmall to find either countenance or pro tection, 28 A TOD R tection, confidence and fincerity on the part of the womeri, naturally produce honor and efteem in the breafts of the men. THE TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 29 THE STORY of LUCILLA. MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED TO The Hon. Mrs. CHETWYND STAPYLTON A^TER coffee, the ladies carried us to fee a nunnery, of which there are no lefs than fourteen in ; Sardinia. I have ever thought thefe inftitutions a defect in po licy, and have reprobated the idea of the Almighty being pleafed at our depriving ourfelves of the power of doing any one good and moral action : but, in juftice to the Superintendants in this ifland, it muft be obferved, that no girl is permitted to become a Novice until fhe is fifteen, and muft then ferve a year longer before fhe can be allowed to take the veil ; but this ceremony once performed, fhe muft bid an eternal farewel to the world. We 30 A TOUft We faw none of the Nuns but the Superiors and Novices. They ftood within the inner door, which, as a particular diftinction, they opened while they con- verfed with us acrofs the threfhold. My attention was foon arrefted by the youngeft of the Superiors. She appears fcarcely thirty. Confine ment has only foftened the colour of her cheek, and compofed the luftre of her eye. Her features are perfectly regular, and her countenance is animated by the cheerful glow of benevolence and virtue. With the gentlenefs of a faint, fhe pof- feffes all the accomplifhments of a woman of the world, and fpeaks a variety of languages, with a voice harmonioufly fweet. Her name is Lucilla. She is aunt to the beautiful Villarias, and, like' her, in her youth, was the pride of Sardinia. Early in life, fhe engaged herfelf to Fernando, ' a young TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 3! a young nobleman, in every refpect her equal. Their hearts were already united, and the day was fixed for their nuptials ; but, before this happy hour could be celebrated, the fudden death of the beft of parents obliged Fernando to pafs over to the Continent, to perform the laft offices to his deceafed, and affectionate father. Before his departure, he repeated thofe endearing vows of eternal con- ftancy, which both he and Lucilla had often given and received ; and each pro- mifed to write by every opportunity. Lucilla kept her word ; and when the time fhe expected an anfwer had expired, her mind was filled with anxious fears for her lover's fafety. At length fhe heard of his arrival at Turin from his friends, moft of whom had received letters from him ; but. Lucilla, who ex-. petted to have had the firft, got none. She was too generous to be fufpicious, and, inftead of complaining, continued writing 32 A TOUR writing to Fernando in the moft aftec-* tionate terms, making every excufe for not hearing from him, but entreating him, as he valued her affection, to write to her by every channel. The amiable Lucilla had ftill the mor-f tification of feeing poft after poft arrivey without a line from her lover. At length fhe heard, accidentally, that he was foon to fet out for Spain, from whence he was to embark for South America. A thou- fand' painful emotions now feized her breaft, and her grief for her lover's un- worthinefs was not the leaft. Her fate was drawing to a crifis ; and, as her laft refource, fhe wrote him the following letter : " Until I heard of your preparations " for croffing the Atlantic, I attributed " your filence to your confidence in my " efteem, and in my unalterable attach- " ment ; and when I reflected how long " your « TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 33 K your hidifpenfable concerns would en- " gage you, I had almoft perfuaded myfelf to wifh that you would not " prolong your abfence, even by the. " time in which you would be writing ** to me : but, What I have hitherto con* u fidered as an occafionai flighty is noW " become an injury fo cruel and in-* " human, that, with all my prejudice in " your favor, I have great difficulty to " make myfelf believe that I am not *' entirely bereft of your affection. If " you are capable Of fuch inconftancy^ ** I abfolve you of your vows ; and may w Heaven forgive you. Mine, I fhall " ever keep facred. If you deprive me " of. the power of fulfilling them — the ** convent of St. Lucia is not far from " me : there will I for fever feclude my- ** felf from the world, and confirm how " fincerely I am your "LUCILL A." This letter having only increafed her difappointment, Lucilla took the irre- D^ vokable 34 A TOUR vokable vow, and exerted all her refiv lution to fubdue her paflion. Two years after fhe had taken the veil, her guardian died ; and, in his laft moments, the wretch confeffed, that he had never forwarded any of the letters intrufted to him, and that he had kept Fernando's. He pointed to a box, where they were depofited ; but death prevented his difcovering his mo tive for fuch enormous treachery. Fernando's letters were exactly in the fame ftrain with Lucilla's. He frequently mentions, that his friends in Spain had folicited him to accept one of the chief appointments in South America; but that he fhould think the whole world itfelf no recompenfe for being abfent from his Lucilla. In his laft, he reminds her of her vows, with the utmoft delicacy and affection. He affures her that, without her, all fituations will be equally miferable to him, and conjures her, in the moft paffionate terms, no longer to, trifle with 2 his TO CONSTANTINOPLE. JJ his happinefs; for, that he fhould be obliged to yield to the importunity of his Spanifh relations, unlefs fhe would again make Sardinia a Paradife, by afluring him of her conftancy. Lucilla was foon informed how cruelly fhe had been deceived ; but, far from complaining, fhe was almoft overcome with joy at the proof of her lover's affection. From that time, fhe reaffumed her former cheerfulnefs ; and, with .in- juries fufficient to diffract any thing lefs than an angel, I really believe fhe is the happieft perfon in the convent. Such are the comforts of religion, and fo true is the adage — " Virtue is happinefs," that Lucilla's thoughts now rife fuperior to the world ; and, without offending the Deity by heat or impatience, fhe looks, with tranquil joy, for that moment which will be the commencement of endlefs blifs, when fhe and Fernando will be united in Heaven. D 2 I leave 3& A T O U R I leave you to conceive, my dear Madam, how much her hiftory increafed the veneration I before felt for her. Vil larias is my author. Her words, enforced by her expreffive countenance, are en graven on my heart ; but it is impoflible to tranflate them. The youthful Mar- chionefs is no enthufiaft in favor of nunneries ; but fhe has made me al low, that, to difpofitions and misfortunes like Lucilla's, they afford a comfortable afylum. LETTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE. tf h E T T E R IV. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Cagliari, September ift, MY DEAR SIR, ' I "'HE churches here are plainer than one expects in a Roman Catholic country ; but many of them are beauti fully neat. The altar-pieces are com- ppfed of coloured marble, with no other ornaments than plated candlefticks and artificial flowers. We have feen but few paintings, and very little fculpture. The piece which ftruck us moft, was for its Angularity as a religious ornament, in one of the chapels of the cathedral. It is a group, with two figures a little de tached on each fide; neither of whom convey any idea of decency, much lefs of religion. D3 The 38 jf T 0 U R The only proceffion I have feen, I at firft miftook for a recruiting party. It was led by a red ftahdard, with drums and fifes playing Malbrook, followed by feveral detachments of menial eccle- fiaftics, in party-coloured dreffes, with a fmall crucifix between each divifion. The rear was brought up by an image of the Virgin Mary, and a chorus. Thefe. gentlemen were rather fparing of their rhufic ; but what they did perform, was remarkably fine, On the fecond night after our arrival, Count Andre gave us a ball at the palace. The dances were all Englifh, except two : the firft was La Courance ; the other, a Sardinian. It confifts of an unlimited number of ladies and gentlemen, who ftand in a ring, and dance feveral times round the centre, in fhort fteps, to a meafure, fomething like the flow time of a Fandango. Every now and then, the i whole clofe ; and the men, with an imitation TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 39 imitation of neighing, firft kick their legs forward, then throw them back, fall on their knees, and fpring to their places. The ring now opens, and the two ends turning outwards, lead round till they join. After footing it a little thus back to back, the former manoeuvre is repeated, to bring the ring to its ori ginal pofition, and the dance is ended. The ball concluded with Country Bump kin, to the great delight of the Sardi nians, Who had never feen it properly danced. I had the pleafure of dancing that, as well as La Gourance, and another with the charming Villarias. Different ices were ferved between the dances, and we broke up about an hour after mid night. We were introduced to near twenty ladies, but none of them are worth a particular defcription but the three I have named. The Viceroy is a man of good under- ftanding, and of accomplifhed manners. D 4 He 40 A TOUR He was formerly Governor of Nice, and always remarkable for his partiality to the Englifh, One afternoon when we were almoft en famille, he faid, " Allans en Angleterre" and led us intp ano-r ther roqm, where we found a com plete tea-table, He was highly pleafed at the agreeable furprife he faw in our countenances, and we were equally charmed with his flattering attention. He has had fome of us to dine with him eyery day, and always fends his car riages for us. Let this, my dear friend, be a leffon to us to treat ftrangers with attention. We are always fure of re^ ceiving it abroad, and it is fhameful not to return it at home. His fon, the Che valier de Revel, poffeffes all the polite- nefs of the French, with the fincerity of the Englifh. He has been in every part pf England, and fpeaks our language yery fluently. Sardinia TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 41 Sardinia is now fubject to the Duke of Savoy, who by the Quadruple Alliance, was obliged to accept it in lieu A. D. 1720. . . . r of Sicily, which was given to the Emperor. It is 140 miles long, and 70 broad, and contains 420,000 fouls. The revenue arifes chiefly from a duty upon fait, and is barely fufficient to de fray its expences; but it certainly might be confiderably augmented, as the foil produces wine, corn, and oil in abun dance. Moft of the fait that is export ed, is taken by the Danes and Swedes; the Englifh formerly took great quanti ties for Newfoundland, but having found the procuring it from Spain and Portugal more convenient, they now take little or none. A profitable tunny fifhery is car ried on at the fouth weft part of the ifland, but it is monopolized by the Duke de St. Pierre, and a few more people, who happen to be proprietors of the ad joining land. Wild boars abound in the hilly parts of the ifland, and here are fome 42 A T O U R fome few deer, not fo large as ours, but in colour and make exactly the fame. I tafted part of one at the Viceroy's, and found it by no means inferior to our doe venifon. The Feudal Syftem ftill fubfifts in a limited degree, and titles go with their eftates, fo that by purchafing the latter, you inherit the former. The regular troops feldom exceed two thoufand men, but the militia amount to near twenty-fix thoufand, of whom eleven thoufand are cavalry. Their horfes are fmall, but uncommonly active. In a charge we fhould beat them, but on a march they would be fuperior to us. The country people are generally armed ; but not- withftanding their having been fo long under the Spanifh and Italian govern ment, aflaffinations are by no means frequent ; and yet by the laws of the country, if a man ftabs another without premeditated malice, within four hours after TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 43- after quarrelling with him, he is 'not liable to be hanged. On the other, hand, the church affords no protection to the guilty. The Sardinians are not at all bigoted, and, next to the Spaniards, the Englifh are their favorites. In 1708, the Vice roy was difpdfed to fupport the Duke of Anjou, but on the approach of the Britifh fleet, the inhabitants obliged him to acknowledge Charles. The town ftands on the fide of an hill, rifing from the fea, with a rampart round it. The fituation is ftrong by nature ; but the works are much out of repair. The worft of this port is, that, on account of the fhoalnefs of the water, men of war are obliged to lay a long diftance from the fhore ; and, although the bay is of a very confiderable extent, yet the channel for large fhips is fo narrow, 44 A TOUR narrow, that, in working out with a contrary wind, it is difficult to avoid getting aground; but, as the bottom is, in general, foft, touching is attended with no bad confequence but the trouble of getting off. For feveral leagues round the hill on which Cagliari ftands, the country is al moft flat ; but, although it appears re markably fine, it is reckoned prodigioufly unhealthy ; and it is a known fact, that the night air, in many parts of this ifland, is a kind of poifon to ftrangers. The harveft is got in. The grapes are ripe ; but the vintage has fcarce begun. The vines are exactly in the order re commended by Virgil. We rode through feveral of the vineyards, and found the peafants exceffively civil. They loaded us with their beft grapes ; and it was with the utmoft difficulty, that we pre vailed upon them to accept any money in 3 return. TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 45 return. They drefs like the Spaniards, to whom they are ftill much attached; and I found my underftanding Spanifh a great recommendation, even with the Nobleffe, and the divine Lucilla. LETTER 4& A TOUR LE T T E R V. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Naples, September 9th. MY DEAR FRIEND, "\XTE left Sardinia on the 3d inftant ; on the 7th, at day-light, were in fight of Mount Vefuvius ; and, in the evening, we were clofe to Capria, a fmall ifland on the right of the entrance to the bay of Naples, famous for the abode of Tiberius. In fize and fhape, it is not unlike Gibraltar. The town is in the center of the weft fide, furrounded and interfperfed with vines and evergreens, which give the houfes the appearance of fo many villas peeping through the trees. This fpot is extremely beautiful ; but every other part of the ifland is a bare rock. ->^ When TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 47 When Tiberius, from the confciouf- nefs of his crimes, was in perpetual dread of being affaffinated, he made choice of Capria, as a place of fecurity. It is to tally inacceffible on every part, except at a little bay^ which he furrounded with guards, and allowed nobody to enter but by his own invitation. Here he carried on the moft abominable debauchery ; and the accounts we read of his brutality are confirmed by the number of obfcene medals and paintings found in the town. r That which exhibits the beautiful Ma- Ionia can never be beheld but with the utmoft horror and compaffion. In thofe vitiated times, this unfortunate lady lived on terms of the pureft affection with her hufband, and carefully avoided the Em peror's court. But when, from his age and infirmities, Tiberius was looked upon as totally debilitated, he accidentally met her, and was inftantly ftruck by her beauty. The modefty of her carriage only 48 A T O U R' only increafed his defire. She was im mediately feized by his guards, and con veyed to the palace, where the horrible monfter, finding that neither power nor promifes, threats nor feverity, could tempt Malonia to fwerve from her duty, had a machine contrived to force her to his purpofe.*— On this fhe is reprefented, with a countenance full of anguifh and diftrefs. The reft is too fhocking to defcribe. Paffing by Capria, with Vefuvius in front, blazing from time to time during the night, we anchored off Naples the next day, and this morning got prattick. LETTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 49 LETTER VI. TO CAPTAIN SMITH, Naples, September 12th. . MY DEAR FRIEND, 1T7E loft no time in feeing the won ders of this extraordinary country. Our firft object was to follow iEneas to the Cuman Shore, and on our way thi ther, it was but juft to pay our oblations at Virgil's Tomb. This celebrated mo nument is clofe to the top of the Grotto of Paufilippe, on the left of the eaft entrance. The infide is a fquare of twelve feet, with three niches for urns on the eaft and weft fides, two niches and a door, through which you enter, on the fouth, and the fame on the north. The roof is arched, and about nine feet high. The outfide was originally octa- E gonal, 50 A T O U R gonal, but the angles being worn away^, it is now circular, and at a diftance looks like the remains of a fmalL tower. The materials are of the common kind, and I did not obferve any marble near it, except two modern infcriptions. Formerly the tomb was furrounded with laurels, but as every idle vifitor took a leaf, there is not a fprig left. We could not help exclaiming againft fuch facrilege ; but our guide endeavoured to comfort us, by faying that the Marquis Salcitro had ordered a new fet to be planted. The Grotto of Paufilippe is at the weft end of the fuburbs of Naples. It is a public road cut through the moun tain, near half a mile in length, and wide enough for two carriages to drive abreaft. Its height is very irregular, in fome parts eighty feet, and at others only five-and-twenty. In the day time 2 you TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 51 you may fee from one end to the other, by the help of two large apertures, cut diagonally from the center of the grotto to the furface of the mount ; but at night we were obliged to ufe torches, which;, when any number of vehicles are driving together, have a moft beautiful effect. The bottom, like all Naples, is paved with fquare pieces of lava. Its exact date has not been afcertained. The common people infift that it was done by inchantment, as a proof of which they allege that no ftones were found near the entrance. It would be to no purpofe to tell them, that thofe who perforated the mount, very naturally made ufe of the ftone in building the town, But after all, the difficulty in accom- plifhing this paffage was by no means fo great as one would at firft imagine, for the ftone is fo foft, that until it has been for fome time expofed to the air, you E 2 may 52 A • T O U R may crumble it to duft. Neither, in my opinion, is this celebrated excavation equal to the batteries, magazines, and communications, formed in the folid rock of Gibraltar by Mr. Inch, under the direction of General Eliott, and con tinued with aftonifhing fuccefs by Major- General O'Hara. After paffing the Grotto we drove to Puzzoli. The road is remarkably plea- fant, great part of it runs between groves of poplars, planted in regular order, to fuftain the vines, in the ftyle of our hop gardens. The vines are loaded with grapes, and, encircling the trees, form a- variety of beautiful feftoons from one tree to another in every direction. The ground beneath is either covered with grafs, or laid out for corn. Turning a little out of the way to the right, we came to Lago D'Agnano, formerly a volcano, now a romantick, beautiful TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 53 beautiful lake. Clofe to it is a little cave called Grotto del Cane, from a va pour that rifes in it fo obnoxious to dogs, that it kills them in a few minutes, and doubtlefs it would have the fame effect on man, or any other animal, whofe head was held near the ground. Between Lago D'Agnano and Puz- zoli, on the fide of another extinguifhed volcano, called the Solfaterra, we faw the Pifcatelli, or Boiling Springs, of whofe wonderful effect, in turning lava and pumice ftone into clay and into foil, I had the fame evening the fatisfaction of bearing a philofophical account from Sir William Hamilton, with which he has already favoured the public. We hired a boat at Puzzoli, and after rowing about two miles acrofs part of the celebrated Bay of Baia, with Virgil in my pocket, landed clofe to the Lu- crine Lake, at the foot of Monte Nuovo. E' 3 This 54 A 'TOUR This mountain, which is feveral hun dred yards in height, and above a mile in circumference, was thrown up by the Lucrine Lake in a violent earthquake in the year 1538. However ftrange this may appear, fuch phenomena are by no means uncommon in Italy. The lake was of courfe much reduced by this eruption, and now only covers three or four acres. It is about ten yards from the fea, and has a fluice to communicate with it. After a fhort walk in a pleafant vine yard, we entered the Sibyl's Cave, a road cut through a mountain in the ftyle of the Grotto of Paufilippe, but on a fmaller fcale. The paffage from the cave to her palace is only wide enough for one perfon, After defcending ten or twelve yards, we came to her baths, four fmall chambers with water ftill in them. We were carried through on men's backsj with candles in our hands, and afeend* TO CONSTANTINOPLE. $$ ing a little on the oppofite fide, came to the door of her palace; but it is fo choaked up with rubbifh, that we were obliged to return without finding an en trance ; and paffing through her cave and a wild fhrubbery on the weft of it, we arrived at Lake Avernus, and on the oppofite banks faw the grove where ./Eneas was t.o find the golden bough. The lake feems to have loft the noxious qualities Virgil afcribed to it ; but this, I imagine, is owing to moft of the high trees with which it was clofely furrounded being cut down, and little but bruihwood left The temple is at a fmall diftance on the right of the lake; we wanted to go to it, but our Cicerone perfuaded us .that it would be better to delay feeing that and the en trance into Hell, until we had been at Cuma, E 4 We 56 A T O U R We therefore' repaffed the Sibyl's Cave, and returning to the Lucrine Lake, again embarked, and proceeded along the fhore to the foot of Nero's Palace, where the fand under the fea water is fo hot, that we could fcarcely touch it. The effect of fubterraneous fire. The baths are above. Thefe are fe veral large chambers, divided into dif-r ferent apartments for the men and women, with two fubterranean paffages leading to the water, which unite at the diftance of two hundred yards from the fpring. Here the heat is fo exceffive and infup- ponable, that it is fuppofed no longer neceffary to continue the feparate paf-= fages, fmce even fhould perfons of dife ferent fexes advance thus far, there is no danger of their being noticed by each other, for to get here coft us great pain ; and all our clothes, in a few feconds, were wet through with perfpiration, This TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 57 This is what they call bathing, for nobody can bear the water. One of our guides, for a pecuniary reward, brought a little in a bucket, and boiled fome eggs in it, which were afterwards ferved at our table in a fhady fpot on the adjoin ing claffic ground ; and we crowned this grateful repaft with the health of a fa vorite fair, in a fmiling bumper of real Falernian, from the very vineyards which . have been celebrated by Horace. The wine was remarkably good, and the heavenly toaft gave it a ftill higher flavour. I am convinced that it would have found its way to England, had not the Italians loft the art of preferving it. One muft therefore either drink it new or four. About two miles from Nero's Baths, we were fhewn the Temple of Diana, a large dome, one half of which was deftroyed by an earthquake, the other remains. The Temple of Mercury is on 1% A T0U R on the oppofite fide of a modern bridge. The dome is ftill entire, and is feventy feet in diameter. It has a fimilar ef fect to the whifpering gallery at St. Paul's. Part of the roof is lined with common mofaic. The walls of the dif ferent out-offices are ftill ftanding, and the court has been lately planted with lemon and orange trees, which, in time, will add greatly to the beauty of its ap pearance. This fpot feems to have been particularly facred, for not an hun dred yards further is a large octagon tower, the remains of a Temple of Ve nus Genetrix, but no other veftige of it is left. Here we again embarked, and after rowing fome little way along the fhore, landed and walked to the top of a hill, from which we had a view of the Ely- fian Fields, and of Lake Acheron below us. The lake is changed, like Avernus, but the Elyfian Fields are ftill a beau tiful TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 59 tiful wildernefs. On our way we paffed feveral ancient burying-places, and a variety of other ruins — ruins in the trueft fenfe of the word, for the whole is an heap of rubbifh. A little beyond this is the famous refervoir conftructed for the ufe of the Roman Navy. The roof is fupported by forty-eight fquare pillars, with a pro portional number of arches, fomething in the ftyle of the Nun's Ciftern at Gibraltar, but on a fcale fo much more grand, that it would contain above an hundred times the quantity of water. From thence we proceeded through a vineyard to an amazing fubterraneous building, fuppofed to have been Nero's prifons. The gallery is about twelve feet high, and nine wide. We were told that it proceeds in a right line from the entrance to the fea, and is divided into near an hundred apartments; but as 60 A T O U R as it is full of ftones, and as the air is, faid to be prodigioufly hurtful, we could not prevail on our guide to defcend to any diftance in this direction, but, turn ing to the left, we entered a range of apartments in the form of a crofs, which we fuppofed were for the officers, as the partition walls are only carried to within two feet of the arch. In the inmoft fourteen bronze lamps were found. The niches they ftood in ftill remain. On ftriking the ground, it re turned a hollow found, as if there was a range of prifons beneath. As foon as Ave returned to day-light, we defcended to the fea-fide, to the tomb of Agrippina. It is an arched vault, fifteen feet long, and nine wide, almoft filled up with rubbifh. The walls are covered with elegant baffo-relievo miniature figures, in fmall fquares, re markably neat and beautiful ; one repre- fents a female deity, with extended wings, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 6l wings, foaring in the air ; two others are women reclining on a couch, but fo choaked up with fmoke and foot from the torches, that it is impoffible to de termine who they are: the workman- fhip, however, one eafily perceives, ex hibits the hand of a capital mafter, who has difplayed fo much tafte, beauty and harmony, that we are almoft tempted to forget Agrippina's crimes ; and, in pity ing her fate, we redouble our horror at the inhuman parricide who fent her to her tomb. It is not known by whom this mo nument was erected ; and I think it not improbable, that it might have been ordered by Nero himfelf, fince he is re ported to have faid, that, had he known how beautiful his mother was, he never would have deftroyed her. Having now feen every thing on the coaft of Baia, we returned to Puzzoli, and, 6-2 A T 0 U R and, to our inexpreflible concern, found that it was too late to continue our excurfion to Cuma. Puzzoli abounds with antiquities ; but the temple of Jupiter Serapis is the only one we had time to fee. This was one of the moft noble ftructures yet brought to light ; and we can never fufficiently lament, that it has not been preferved in the ftate in which it was found. The court is a fquare of one hundred and twenty feet, and was furrounded by a magnificent colonnade, which, together with the roof and pavement, were of beautiful marble. It contained many elegant ftatues, and every other religious ornament ; but the King was feized with fuch an avidity for thefe treafures, that he had them all removed to his different palaces, with the exception of four columns only, which are left, as a fample, before the entrance of the inner temple, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 63 temple, each eighteen feet in circum ference, and forty in height. The temple itfelf was again flopped up with rub bifh, after all its ornaments were taken away. In the center of the court, an altar was raifed for facrifice ; but, as it was compofed of the fineft materials, it was crufhed by the earthquake that buried the temple. The bafe ftill remains, with the ring to which the victim was tied, and the veffels for holding its blood. LETTER 64 A TOUR LET T E R VII. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Naples, September lotti* MY DEAR FRIEND, TI7'E returned to Naples, highly gra tified with our expedition to Baia, and, after a day's reft, fet out for Mount Vefuvius. The foot of the mountain is about fix miles off. We went at night, in order to view the crater to the greateft advantage, and were about two hours in walking from the bafe to the herr mitage. The road, although fteep, is tolerably good ; and a light carriage may afcend the greateft part of it. Father Pietro, the Hermit, received us with great hofpitality ; and, although 3 turned TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 65 turned of eighty, he is by no means infenfible to thofe charms of fociety which are confiftent with the gravity of his order. He feemed a perfon of a liberal education, fpoke with great judg ment of the ancients, and was well in formed of the ftate of Europe at the time of his retirement. In the courfe of converfation, he mentioned his hav ing been in England, which led us to enquire in what capacity. Conceive our furprize, when this venerable , fage told us that he had heen a French hair-dreffer I But the franknefs and the grace with which he made this declaration, increafed our efteem ; and his converfation proved, that however low his origin, his abilities and application had raifed him fuperior to moft of us. His habitation is a comfortable cot tage, with a chapel, and a fhrubbery adjoining, at the extremity of one of the fmall mountains, of which there are , F feveral 66 A T O U R feveral round Vefuvius; and although half way up to the crater, this fpot is fecured from the lava by a ridge which feparates it from the great cone ; and fhould the burning matter run in this direction, it would be thrown on each fide. But it is not impoffible that he may fome day be furrounded by it ; and he is always expofed to the ftones- and afhes thrown up by the mountain. At three o'clock the next morning we prepared for the grand afcem% but it rained fo hard that our guide affured us it was impoffible to proceed ; and, to our infinite difappointment, the weather did not clear up till after daylight. We then took leave of our friendly hermit, and after fcrambling over large fields of rough lava, in lefs than two hours reached the crater — an unfathomable fiery gulph, funk from the fummit of a monfcrous cone, which rifes above every other branch of the mountain. It emits an TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 67 an- amazing column of fthoke, fb ftrong- \f impregnated with fulphur, that it was hot without danger of being fuffo- cated, that we were able to look down it, even on the fide from which the wind blew. The fmoke and daylight prevented our feeing to any depth, but at night I imagine that we fhould occafionatly have difCerned fire at the bottom. We repeatedly heard a rumbling noife, not fo much like that of thunder, as of a brazen carriage rolling over a bridge. Thefe were fucceeded by fmall explo- fiofls, which threw up large quantities of ftones, accompanied by a flame, which the light prevented our feeing to advantage. Whilft the mountain is in this dan gerous ftate, if i» feafpoffible to meafure the Circumference "of fhe crater exactly, *y.i. F2 but 68 A TOUR but I am led to think that it has been exaggerated, and that it does not ex ceed three hundred yards. Its fides how ever fometimes fail in, and then the circumference may be much greater. Figure to yourfelf what a volume of fmoke may be emitted from fuch a fourCe, and what an overwhelming torrent of liquid fire fuch a gulph may produce ! Our fhoes were burnt in getting to its edge, for it is furrounded either with new lava, or a hot, droffy fubftance powdered with fulphur. Sometimes the mountain is perfectly quiet for weeks together, but it has been fmoking ever fince we arrived, with oc- cafional explofions, which threaten an approaching eruption. There was a flight One a few days before we entered the bay, but the lava only defcended about a mile from the crater. It is ftill 2 red TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 69 r»ed hot, and at night may be feen at many leagues diftance. The phenomena of lava and burning mountains have been varioufly explain ed by different philofophers. Some, and thefe men of reputation too, have fol lowed the idea of the ancients, and fup- pofe the center of the earth to be fire, to which they are fo extravagant as to imagirie -volcanos are the chimneys. Others fuppofe them to be occafioned by the fermentation of fireftone, fulphur, and iron, the exp'lofions of nitre, of aqueous fteam violently heated, or of air pent up and greatly rarefied. All thefe doubtlefs affift, or contribute to the formation of volcanos, hut the only in- exhauftible fource of fire that I am in formed of, is the electric fluid, whofe powers were not difcovered before the middle of this century. This is nothing more than the light of the fun abforbed by the earth, which of courfe muft be F 3 again -jo A You R again emitted, juft as we receive in rain, the water and the damps he exhales from us. Whenever, therefore, the electric fluid is abforbed in larger quan tities than the general outlets can return, it acts with uncommon violence, and breaks forth either by an earthquake, or an eruption. When this happens, and the eruption is not very violent, the burning matter rifes gradually from the bottom to the top of the crater, and when it has filled it, it runs over like the bailing of an immenie caldron. But fometimes it fcorns all bounds, and the crater, monftrous as it is, being infuffi- cient tp give vent to its violence, the fide of the mountain is burft open, and thrown with inconceivable force to an immeasurable height in the air. The lava then rufhes forth in an impetuous torrent of liquid fire, overwhelming every thing in its courfe. That of 1767 was fix miles long and two wide, and in fome places, where it paft over ca* vities, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 71 vities, it Was fixty or feventy feet deep. Eruptions are generally preceded and clofed by an immenfe difcharge of ftones and afhes, which often create more de- ftruction than the lava itfelf. For fome time after the eruption, the lava has the appearance of melted glafs, after which the upper part breaks into large pieces of a kind of drofs, which, in the courfe of time crumble into mould, and form the richeft foil ima ginable, whilft the lower becomes hard ftone. But this is the procefs of many years, and confequently great part of Vefuvius is horridly barren, whilft the reft is moft beautifully cultivated. A fog deprived us of the view from the top of the mountain ; but, by what I faw at the Hermitage, I think it would have been impoffible to defcribe it. The F 4 bay J2 A T O U R bay of Naples is upwards of fifty miles in circumference, and the variety of curious and beautiful objects, which ftrike the eye in every direction, render it one of the moft pleafing and intereftv ing fights which it is poffible to behold. The capital of the kingdom is in the center, with a fuperb Carthufian mo- naftery, and the Caftle of St. Ilmo above it. On the weft the public walk of the Chiaja, adorned with feveral elegant fountains, and a double row of trees. Beyond it Mount Paufilippe, with the Tomb of Virgil ; the road and town of Puzzoli; the Solfaterra, and Monte Nuo? vo; the remains of the Lucrine Lake, and the ruins of Baia, bounded by the celebrated Cape of Mifenus, and the Ifle of Ifchia. On the eaft the gardens, pa lace, and mufeum of Portici, built over the ruins of Herculaneum, Mount Ve fuvius throwing forth an amazing vot lume of fmoke in a variety of fhapes, according to the wind, with its bafe covered TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 73 covered with vineyards, convents, and villas, rifing out of the afhe& of Pom- pleia and Stabia. Beyond thefe Caftello Mare, clofed by the Promontory of Gampenela, and the Ifland of Capria* The whole country is in the higheft ftate of cultivation, richly clothed with beautiful trees, moft of which are ever,* greens. The entrance of the bay is on the fouth-weft fide, and is near fifteen miles wide. Off the town there are two moles, one for the King's galleys, the other for the larger men of war and merchantmen, with three caftles to defend them. But notwithftanding thefe works, and the Citadel of St. Ilmo, which, from its height, is , un- aflailable, and that its garrifon is fliel- tered by excellent cafemates, I. think ten fail of the line might lay this capital in afhes, as a firft rate man of war may lie clofe to the fhore, By 74 -¦' -A TOUR By Sir William Hamilton's defire, we, this morning, took a boat from the Pearl, and after rowing along the weft fide of the town, and paffing the ruins of Queen Joan's Palace, landed at a fmall village, he was fo good as to point out to us, in the neighbourhood of which we faw the remains of Pollio's Villa, with the fubterranean fifh-ponds, in which he ufed to feed lampreys on hu man flefh. There are fome bufts of his family in the garden, and feveral in- fcriptions to remind us of his abominable luxury, LETTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE. J§ LETTER VIII. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Naples, September 341b. MY DEAR FRIEND, /"\N a hill, a little without this city, the King has a palace, called Capo de Monte, in which there 16 a mufeum, and a numerous collection of paintings, the beft of which is Titian's celebrated Danaae. Nothing can be more beautiful, or expreffive of enjoyment, than her face, or more elegantly fhaped than her perfon : but, dared I fuppofe it poffible to improve the defign of fo perfect a mafter, I would fay, that, for Jupiter's fake, I wifh that her knees were lefs drawn up. Scidon's 76 A TOUR Scidon's Charity is a divine figure* and, if poffible, exalts that heavenly virtue. ' The Dead Chrift, by A. Carraccio ; Mary Magdalen, by Giucino ; Peter de nying Chrift, by Morillo; the Virgin Mary, with St. Ann, Jefus, and John the Baptift, by Raphael, are among the belt pieces. The mufeum contains a complete fet of medals in gold, filver and copper, of all the Roman Emperors ; a variety of beautiful cameos, antique vafes, and a copy of the Farnefe Bull. Our next grand object was to vifit the recovered towns of Herculaneum and Pompeia, which, after being buried near feventeen hundred years, were again brought to light by the prefent '* King of Spain, whilft he was on the, throne of Naples. * Died on the 13th of December, 1788. Thefe TO CONSTANTINOPLE. JJ Thefe towns were loft in the reign of Titus,, by the memorable eruption of Vefuvius, in the year of our Lord 79, when the mountain threw forth fuch a torrent of ftones and. lava, that Her- culaneum and Stabia were buried near eighty feet deep in afhes, confolidated by liquid fire. In ; the revolution of fo many ages, the fpot they ftood upon was entirely forgotten : but, towards the end of the laft century, fome infcriptions were found, which led to a difcovery of their fitua tion ; but it was. not till the year 1738, that any public excavations were made. > The King met with fo much fuccefs in his firft attempt, that, notwithftanding the expence of digging through fixty or eighty feet of hard ftone, he laid open a confiderable part of Herculaneum ; but the difficulty of removing the rub bifh induced his Majefty to fill it up again 78 A T O U R again as he went on, after collecting all the moveables of any confequence. The theatre alone is left open. It is larger than any in England; and the ends of the beams, burnt to coal, are ftill feen flicking in the walls ; but all the orna ments that wkhftood the eruption: are removed to Portici. No lava having ever gone over the allies which buried Pompeia, it Was much eafier cleared. Three divifions are quite open. The firft is a fmall fquare, which, our Cicerone told us, wa& the~ foldiers quarters. There are feveral fmall apartments round it; ia one of which we faw the fkeletons of feventeen poor wretches, who were confined by the ancles in an iron machine. Many other bodies were found, fome of them in circumftances which plainly fhew that they were endeavouring to efcape when? the eruption overtook them. Near the barracks;, theffe is a theatre, and a temple of TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 79 of Ifis ; but, as all their ornaments have been removed, they have now little but their antiquity to make them worth feeing. But a : little farther, two ftreets, with all their- houfes, are entirely cleared, and look like a fmall town, lately abandoned. The ftreets are jtift wide enough for two carriages- to pafs each other ; and the ruts Worn by the wheels, are ftill to be feen, as well as names, and feveral mili tary figures, cut in a rough manner by the fotdiers on the Walls of their quar ters. A path is raifed on each fide of the flreet, for foot paffengers. Moft of the houfes have a terrace at top, in the Italian ftyle ; and fome of them have baths and ftoves to heat the walls. The floors, in general, are paved with mofaic of the common kind ; arid the fides of the rooms were all orna mented? .with paintings on the bare 3 plafter, 80 A T O U R plafter, which we call in dijiemper.- Sortie of them are exceedingly beautiful ; but moft of the beft have been taken away* Among thofe that remain, the moft ftrik- ing are, Narciffus pining for his own figure ; Orpheus and Eurydice ; Diana and Endymion ; variety of dogs and game ; feveral difhes of fifh, fowl and vegetables.; a capital helmet ; fome beautiful land- fcapes, and light feftoons of the moft elegant patterns : all as perfect as the day they were painted. A little without the gates, We faw the burying-place of the Terentian family. It is a fmall pile, with a tower in the center, with niches for the urns, and feveral diftorted, weeping faces on the walls. In one of the wells in the town, we found feveral fkulls, which were thrown there when the houfes were cleared out. About a quarter of a mile farther, we came to a noble villa, which, from its TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 8j Its. fize, and the furniture found in it, muft have belonged to fome perfon of confequence. The lower part is inha* bited by fome peafants, who cultivate the garden within the court, and who prefented us with fome of the grapes which it produces. The cellars form three fides of a fquare, under the ter race in front of the houfe, each fide one hundred and fixty feet long. We were fhewn feveral jars, whofe contents were folid, and which, at the time of the eruption, were full of wine. From hence We drove to POrtici, to fee the mufeum, where every thing taken out of Pompeia and Herculaneum is col lected. It confifts of fixteen rooms, in which the different articles are arranged with very great tafte. The floors are paved with mofaic, taken up from the recovered towns, and the walls of the court are lined with infcriptions. G Exclufive 82 A T O U R Exclufive of bufts and ftatue^ medals, and intaglios, lamps and tripods, innu merable ; there is not an article ufed by the ancients, of which a fpecimen may not be feen in this mufeum. We were fhewn fome Houfehold Godsj and every implement ufed] in worfhip, Or facrifice, agriculture, and cookery. A kitchen completely furnifhed, in a ftyle that would do juftice to a London Alder man. Several fcales, weights, and mea- fures, and different inftruments of mufic and furgery. Some loaves of bread, with the maker's name. Different kinds of fhell fruit. Tickets of admiffion, for the theatre, ,and, what rather leffened our veneration for the ancients, fome loaded dice, and a box of rouge. They had mirrors too, which were of brafs highly polifhed, for they had not the art of making glafs reflect by quickfilver. One of the apartments is filled with obfcene devices, particularly rings, which were TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 83 Were worn by the chafteft Matrons', as charms againft fterifity ; for the Rortians accuftomed their women to this kind of objects, juft as they did their youth to danger, that they might learn to behold them unmoved. This accounts for the very great number that have been found. Some of them are highly laughable. But the moderns have learned more de licacy ; and this apartment is never ex- pofed to the ladies. The Satyr and She Goat was thought fo dangerous a reprefenfatioh, that it was very properly removed to a feparate houfe ; and nothirtg but its exquifite Workmanfhip prevented its being de- ftroyed. It is" rriuGh to be lamented that the article which might be of moft fervice to mankind, is the moft difficult to be recovered, I mean the ancient books. Thefe were written on fcrolls rolled up, G 2 and 84 A TOUR and by the heat of the afhes, were burnt into the appearance of charcoal. No pains have been fpared to unfold them, but the operation is attended with fuch immenfe difficulty, that as yet but four have been brought to light, and thefe in fo mutilated a ftate, that though the letters which are left are perfect, I fear they can never be of any real ufe. But this by no means leffens the merit of Padre Piaggi and his pupils. It is miraculous that they have fucceeded fo well ; and their ingenuity and perfeverance cannot be too much applauded. Several of the rooms in the Palace of Portici, which is adjoining to the mufeum, are lined with the paintings cut out of Pompeia ; but though they are reckoned the beft, they do not ap pear to me to equal thofe that remain on their native walls. The TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 85 The equeftrian ftatues of Marcus No nius Balbus, and his fon, at the foot of the great ftaircafe, are both remark ably light and elegant. One has the greater pleafure in admiring them, from their being a tribute to virtue, erected after their death by the citizens of Herculaneum, of which they were Pro- confuls. Portici is about fix miles from Na ples, at the foot of Vefuvius; the theatre of Herculaneum is a little beyond the Palace, and Pompeia about feven miles farther, all on the great road to Ca- ftello Mare. No excavations having been made at Stabia, we did not go there. G 3 LETTER 86 A TOUR LETTER IX- TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Naples, September jytfa. MY DEAR SIR, ¦PNGAGEMENTS in Naples, which we could not decline, and the fhort* nefs of our ftay, allowed us to make but one more excurfion to the country, This was to the new palace at Cafertta, The outfide has nothing to boaft of but the grandeur of its fize ; but for convenience, the plan is, perhaps, the beft which has ever been laid out. It is a fquare of fix hundred feet each fide ; and that no room may be loft, the interior court is divided into four, by a range of buildings in the fhape of a crofs, the head of which forms a moft magr* TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 87' magnificent church, lined with the mar ble from the Temple of Serapis at Puz- . zoli. It hath not many paintings, but that of the Prefentation is reckoned ineftimable. I do not mean to criticife this admirable work, but it is natural. to imagine that the painter intended the Virgin Mary to be his principal "eha- ratter, and yet, in fpite of myfelf, my attention was conftantly drawn from her to the furrounding figures. The great ftaircafe forms one of the fineft coup a"oei/s of the kind I ever be held. It is in the center of the whole edifice, oppofite the church gates. The dome is painted with Apollo and the Mufes, in a circle, and the four fea- fons in the corners. The fteps and ba- luftrade are all of marble of different colours, on a very grand fcale, crowned with two capital lions. If any fault can be found with this elegant piece of architecture, it is that the area below G 4 is 88 A TOUR is too fmall in proportion to the gran deur of this part of the building. Tt is intended that this Palace fhall contain apartments for all the Officers of State, &c. who by the fkill of the architect, will be moft conveniently lodged ; as yet, however, none but thofe of the King are completed. Thefe are finifhed in the richeft ftyle, and with a neatnefs and elegance that prevents our being dazzled by their magnificence. The walls are warned with light co lours (for the Italians ufe no paper), with elegant mouldings of gold and filver, and the ceilings are adorned with a variety of moft beautiful paintings. That of the Three Graces in the Queen's bath, is a moft mafterly piece ; they have juft been bathing, the beauty of their faces and fymmetry of their per*? fp|is, are beyond defcription, Several TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 89 Several of the lower rooms are filled with ftatues, not yet put up. The beft is Agrippina fitting on a chair, with her feet out, fo very natural, that I was on the point of bowing to her. The Theatre is nothing extraordinary. The aqueduct we had not time to fee. St. Januarius is the tutelar faint of the Neapolitans. His feaft is now ce lebrating. The people out of doors af fect to laugh at the idea of his blood Kquifying, but when the pretended mi racle was performed, all of them kiffed the phial with great fervour. The Nobile have given an oratorio in honor of him ; Sir William Hamilton fent us tickets for it. During this feftival the operas are fufpended ; which has prevented our feeing more than two. The Theatre ef St. Carlos, performers, dreffes, &c, are. 9O' A TOUR are, in every refpett, fuperior to ours ; and yet, inftead of half-a-guinea, the price of admittance is only about eighteen pence. In England, the fingers are never obliged to exert fhemfelves for any time together: here I have heard La Banti in a cantata that hath required a conftant exertion for near half an hour ; 'Tomeone, though lefs powerful, is more pleafing : in Pace caro mio Spq/b, fhe is abfolutely incomparable. The Coltalines make too many faces ; and this is often the cafe with the men ; but, however hideous in private parties, it is not much obferved on the ftage. Their dances are longer than ours, and, when they form part of the piece, are accompanied by voices. It would be prefumption to attempt to defcribe the manners of the Italians on fo fhort an acquaintance. Suffice it to fay, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 91, fay, that we have been treated with the utmoft attention; that the people are re markably partial to our nation ; and that being an Englifh Officer is a fufficient introduction to the firft company. If the lower fort have fometimes taken advantage of our inexperience, it is no more than we have fuffered at home ; for, who are more impofing, particularly to foreigners, than the publicans, waiters, and all that clafs of people, in England ? In fhort,. I fhould be apt to give a very high character of the Neapolitans, had I not been told that they do not merit the favorable opinion I have formed of them, and that the civility of the men often ends in winning your money, whilft that of the women pro ceeds from an amorous difpofition, tinc tured with avarice : but ah this it would be ungenerous to believe, fince we have not experienced ^n inftance of either. The 92 A TOUR The frailty of women I can pity, as well as condemn : but how a lady Can fell her virtue, is, though perhaps it may be accounted for here, what Englifhmen I hope will never comprehend. The Princefs Belmonte is particularly entitled to our regard. Her fortune ren ders her fuperior to any fordid views; and yet fhe has always been remarkable for the kindeft attention to our country men. Her Highnefs invited us to a party at her cafino, and fhewed us a room entirely furnifhed in the Englifh ftyle, with the beft productions of Bun- bury, Hamilton and Strange. We have been at feveral converfaziotii, which, in the principal houfes, include every other amufement. A fuit of rooms is thrown open ; the largeft for a pro menade in fummer, and dancing in winter ; the next for mufic ; a third for billiards ; a fourth for fruit, ices, &c and the TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 93 the. reft for .sards and dice. But, if only four or five people meet together, the Italians call it a.converfazione. The Court has been at Caftello Mare ever fince we arrived. We mean to call there on our way out of the bay ; and Lord Hervey, from whom we have re ceived the greateft civilities, has promifed to accompany us. His Lordfhip is one of . the King's moft intimate friends ; and Lady Hervey, whofe gentlenefs and good fenfe infure her the hearts of all thofe who have the honour to approach her, is particularly efteemed and re- fpected by the Queen, and all the Italian nobility. I mentioned before, that the Spaniards ceded Naples to the Emperor, by the Treaty of Utrecht; but Philip V. of Spain's fecond wife, Elizabeth Farnefe, heirefs to the Duke of Parma, giving him a pretence for invading Italy, in her 3 riSht> 94 A T O U R right, he made a conqueft of Sicily and Naples '. but the other European Powers obliged him to form them into a feparate kingdom, and to give it to Charles, his eldeft fon by the Princefs of Parma. — A.D. 1735. All Philip's children by his firft mar riage dying without iffue, Charles fuc ceeded to the crown of Spain, and re figned Sicily and Naples to his A.D. 17,-9. . , third fon, Ferdinand IV. the prefent King, the eldeft being an ideot, and the fecond becoming Prince of the Afturias, and heir to Spain. The government, being founded on conqueft, is of courfe defpotic. The King generally keeps up near thirty thoufand men, who feem to be tolerable troops. The officers are obliged to have a public military education, and are aftonifhed that this is not the cafe with us. The navy confifts of three two- • deckers, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 9$ deckers, about a dozen frigates, and twenty galleys. They are at war- with the Algerines, but feldom take a prize. The revenue of the King of Naples is near a million fterling. When fupplies are wanted, his Majefty has only to iffue an edict, mentioning the caufe, and the manner in which they are to be raifed. He generally fays, that it is by the defire of his Council, which only confifts of his principal Minifters, and the Queen, who is allowed a confiderable fhare in the adminiftration of the kingdom, from its independence being in a manner ob tained through the female line, as I con jecture ; for the fhort time I have been in this country has not permitted me to make myfelf mafter of its laws, which, as well as feveral other matters, I muft pafs over till my return. As to churches and convents, I will not detain you with any account of them ; for they are 2 nearly 96 a t o u r nearly alike in moft -Roman Catholic ftates. Naples is in Lat. 40° 53', Long. 140 12' Eaft, and, by the fhorteft courfe, about a thoufand miles from Gibraltar. LETTER tO CONSTANTINOPLE. 97 LETTER X. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Off Salerno, OAbber id. MY DEAR FRIEND, T ORD Hervey and Captain Barnard, who have had the goodnefs to ac company us thus far, being about to leave us, I embrace this opportunity of fending you a continuation of my Jour nal ; a form of writing, which, in con formity to your wiflies, I fhall always prefer whenever we are at fea. 'Friday, September 28th. At four o'clock, yefterday afternoon, we got under way, in order to pay the King" of Naples a vifit a Caftello Mare. We were becalmed all night; arid his H Majefty, 98: A TOUR . Majefty, being apprized of our ap proach, came out to meet us at day break, this morning. He was in a man of war brig of fourteen gunsi attended by another of the fame force. As foon as he was -within- about two miles* he got into his barge, and, there being but little wind, rowed on board us. We received him with a royal falute. His Majefty went all over the ; fhip, praifed every part of her, feemed much pleafed, i and, with a moft engaging con- defcenfioni thanked us for the honor .we did him, and invited the principal per- fons on board to dine at his cafino.. .On kavirig the fhipf he was again falute^ with twenty-One guns. ,; .-^ Immediately afterwards his ; Majefty fent. tlje officers a prefent of fome very fine fifh of his own catching, and in the afternoon rowed out again to take ano ther view of the fhip. Caftello TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 99 Caftello Mare is the King's dock yard. Every thing is in high order; but it-is entirely defencelefs, and does not give an Englifhman a very formid4- able idea of the Neapolitan Navy. There is a village adjoining, above which the King has built a fmall palace, or cafino, in a moft charming fituation, with a full view of the bay. Here his Majefty generally fpends great part of the fummer, and enjoys his favorite amufements of fifhing and ftiooting, wa- ter parties-, and $hip-building. ¦The King of Napks is thirty-fix years old, well made, and rather tall ; lean enough to enjoy all his diverfions, of a fair Cohiplexion, light hair-, and an affa ble, cpen countenance. Ndtwkhftanding the heavy taxes re- qmfite to the fupport of his navy and army, he is adored by his fiibjects, frorri H 2 the ICO A TOUR the confidence he repofes in them, and becaufe, in affairs of ftate, he is always their champion. But if he has fome times fuffered his partiality for the Queen to get the better of his judgment, his people are fenfible that love al ways predominates in the moft generous breafts. Her Majefty is a year younger than her hufband. She is fifter to the Em peror of Germany, and to the Queen of France, and is accufed of being ex tremely ambitious, which the King's eafy temper, by giving her the afcen- dency in politics, rather increafes. In her youth fhe muft have been amazingly handfome; for notwithftanding her having eight children living, there is ftill fome thing very ftriking about her; and her charms, it is faid, are as powerful as ever on the King. There is no believing half the ftories one hears ; and wheal they tend to fcandal or immorality, it is TO CONSTANTINOPLE. IOI is unjuft to repeat any on mere re port. In the evening we got under way, and with a light breeze failed out of the Bay of Naples, between Capria and Cape Gampenela. September 29th. Becalmed on the coaft of Salerno. No thing can be more beautifully picturefque. From the water's edge to the tops of the mountains, not a vacant fpot is to be feen. The whole face of the country is covered with vines, trees, and houfes, mixed together in the prettieft confufion imaginable. In the afternoon we landed ; but the people being fufpicious of us, we could not gain admittance to any of their houfes for a confiderable time. At length a prieft, after having carefully examined us from his miranda, opened his doors, H 3 treated 102 A TOUR treated us with great hofpitality, and laughed at the ignorance of his people. September 30th. The Ifland of Capria is ftill in fight. Paffed the Bay of Salerno, and the wind being light and contrary, brought to off Peftum, Went on fhore to exa mine the ruins. This ancient city, which flourifhed before the foundation of Rome, was deftroyed by the Goths on the decline of the Roman Empire, and in their zeal for the chriftian religion, thefe fierce barbarians overturned every place of Pagan worfhip expofed to their ra vages, The arch of the eaft gate of the town is ftill ftanding. But of a multitude of beautiful temples, not a column of any one is left, except of three, which being TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I03 being compofed of common ftone, the barbarians were fatisfied with deftroying the roofs. Two of thefe are clofe to each other. The one has nine columns in front, and eighteen on each fide ; the other has fix by fourteen. Each of the columns is fix feet in diameter, and the fpace between them is eight feet. Both of thefe temples are of the Doric order. The third is of the Corinthian. They are ^11 three noble edifices, and the co lumns, with a great part of the enta blature, are ftill perfect. Signor Pitelli, a painter whom we brought from Na ples, is bufily employed in taking plans of them. The walls of the city are above two miles in circumference, and eighteen feet thick, and are eafily traced, as well as the mole, which the fea by an earth quake has left dry. H4 In 104' -*X* ably perfect. October ift. Signor Pitelli not having finifhed the plans, and the wind continuing contrary, we carried him on fhore again to-day. Here, in a farm-houfe? amidft thefe ruins of antiquity, we faw the modern method of drying figs, and making raifins, The operation is very Am ple. Expofe the fruit to the fun for eight or ten days, then bake it, and when packing up, fprinkle a little flour between the layers. Peftiim TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I05 Peftunv was founded by one of thofe Grecian colonies, who, in the early ages, eftablifhed themfelves in Italy, whence this country derived the appet- lation of Magna Grecia. 106 A TOUR f3('' ¦¦•;• LETTER XI. October 2d. T ORD Hervey took leave of us this morning off Salerno, and had fcarce made the fhore in a boat that attended his Lordfhip, before we were attacked by an adverfe gale of wind, which obliged us to ftand towards the weft, pretty clofe to Capria, and, I affure you, it is with no fmall fatisfaction, that we find ourfelves fufficiently to windward to fetch the Bay of Naples, fhould the ftorm increafe. October 3d. The gale having moderated, we tacked at one A. M. and at noon the wind be came TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 107 came fair, but has left a heavy fea againfl: us. October 4th. At eight A. M. were in fight of Strombolo, the moft northern of the Lipari Iflands, which are fuppofed to be of volcanic origin, that is, thrown up by eruptions occafioned by fire under the fea, whence Virgil makes them the refidence of Vulcan. They are alfo fuppofed to have given rife to the fable of Eolus, from one of their Kings of this name, who, by at tending to the fmoke of the neighbour ing iflands, had learned to foretell how the wind would blow. Homer carries* Ulyffes to Lipari, the capital of that monarch, who, com- paffionating his fufferings, made him a prefent of the different winds confined in feparate bags, that he might ufe them 2 at 108 A TOUR at his pleafure; but when they got in fight of Ithaca, his companions, ignorant of the contents, untying the adverfe ones, he was driven back in a violeat ftorm, and thus renewed his former woes. The cafe is different with us: calms and light variable breezes have kept us in fight of Strombolo the whole day. The volcano is on its fouth-weft fide, in fo fortunate a fituation for the in habitants, that they have little to fear from eruptions ; for the crater is about one fifth of the height of the ifland below its fummit, and is furrounded on every fide but that neareft the fea, by large cliffs, which feem to overhang it. on purpofe to check the eruption when. it takes any other direction; for the ftones and afhes which . it cafts forth, rebounding from the rocks above, are . either again fwallowed up, or thrown down the fouth-weft fide into the ocean. T In TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I09 . In the afternoon, there was an exr plofion like the fpringing. of a fmall ^nine. The fmoke occafioned by this, being quickly difpelled, it refumed its former ftate, which, at the diftance of five leagues, appeared exactly like that which iffues from a large double chim-» riey. At this time it bore S. S. E. At dufk, it looked like a lime-kiln,. and every three or four minutes emitted a flame, which blazed for a few feconds like a furnace on fire. « During the night, it appeared in all its glory, with every fymptom of an ap proaching grand eruption. The crater feemed full of burning matter, boiling on its furface, and every now and then throwing up a large column of red*hot ftories, which bounded down the fide of the mountain into the fea, and, in a manner fetting fire to the air as they flew, through it, formed one of the grarideft lib A T 0 U R grandeft fights it is poffible to conceive. The beautiful effect of thefe flying red- hot rocks was not loft until they had been fome feconds under water. Formerly there were only feven of thefe iflands, now there are eleven ; and, from the active ftate of Strombolo, which is confiderably detached from the reft, I fhould not be furprifed to hear that another ifland was fhrOWn up near it: but filch an event; although often reported, I can affure you, has riot lately happened here. The laft phenomenon of this kind that has been, thoroughly authenticated, is in the Archipelago, which, in a few weeks, I hope to vifit. All the Lipari iflands have had vol canoes in their time ; but moft of them have been extinct for many centuries. The whole are fubject to the King of Naples, and add a confiderable fum to his revenue, from the trade they carry on TO CONSTANTINOPLE. * m on in wine, alum, fulphur, and dried fruit. _ The wine is famous; I tafted fome of it at Naples, but did not think it equal to its reputation. Friday, October 5th. At day-break, Strombolo was two leagues aftern. It looks like a huge rock rifing boldly Out of the fea, feems to be about twelve miles in circumference, arid has a fmall town on the fouth-eaft fide. The rcoaft of Calabria, and of Sicily 1 >alfp in fight, Latitude^ at mid-. day* $°37' At fun-fet, we entered the celebrated ftraits- of Scylla and Charybdis, and, in lefs than an hour and a half, anchored at Meflina. LETTER 112 A TOUR LETTER XII. ; TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Meffina, OSober 8 th, MY DEAR FRIEND, TVfl~ESSINA, which was formerly in fo- flourifhing a ftate, and which was: accounted one of the prettieft cities in the world, is now exactly in the.condition of Gibraltar during the fiege ; and the inhabitants live in juft fuch miferable. places as the huts of Black-town and Windmill-hill. The front of the town extended along the water fide, for above two thou fand yards, in the form of a crefcent, adorned with pilafters and pediments, and a grand efplanade open to the feSLy TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 113 fea, Which at once formed a noble pier, arid a delightful public walk* flanked by a fort at each end. The houfes were built with great tafte^ all four ftories high, and nearly alike. Of this beautiful and magnificent range, only the outfide fhell remains ; the reftj with all the town, except one of two of fhe ftrongeft churches^ wis entirely deftfeyed by the dreadful earth quake in 1783; The center of that tremendous con- vulfioa was at Oppide, in Calabria. Every thing within twenty miles was efetkely overwhelmed, and fev&ral townSj With all their inhabitants', completely fwallowed up, not the fmalkft veftige of them being left. Scarce a place within fetenty=-tW6 miks of Oppidb but felt the flioek. By the feturn made to' the Se cretary of State, the number of people loftj amounted to tMrty-tw© thoufand/ I " three 114 A TOUR three hundred and fixty-feven foute; and we were told by Sir William Ha milton, that there were feveral thoufand ftrangers, travellers, &e. who were not included in that return. It is by no means uncommon to hear of the Italians fcourging their faints when they are overtaken by any mif- fortune ; but, fince this dreadful cala mity, St. Agatha, the Protectrefs of Sicily, is more venerated than rever ; for, notwithftanding the lofs of their property, fhe has the credit of having defended her votaries from the cata- ftrophe with which their neighbours' on the oppofite coaft were overwhelmed ; and every Sunday night the opera ends with a little piece in her honor. There is fomething fo amiable in this univerfal gratitude and thankfgiving in the midft of abfolute ruin, that it is im poffible not to admire the minds that are TO CONSTANTINOPLE. II j are capable of fuch virtue, even though actuated by fuperftition. But^ irideed, if we compare Meffina with feveral other places, we may reckon her peculiarly fortunate, fince, though the town is de- ftroyedj only nine hundred people pe- rifhed. At the time of the earthquake, the Meffinians had fcarce recovered from the ravages of the plague of 1743. This fecond blow has completely broken their fpirit, and obliged them to relinquifh fhe hope of ever feeing their city rebuilt; the King of Naples having ordered that none of the houfes in the Crefcent fhall be roofed, until they are raifed to their former height. The inhabitants have remonftrated, by faying, that they can not bear the expence ; but his Majefty is unwilling that they fhould lofe fo beau tiful an ornament. I z Even Il6 A TOUR Even Scylla and Gharybdis have been almoft fubdued by the repeated convul- fions of this part of the earth, and by the violence of the current, which is continually increafing the breadth of the; Straits. If proper allowance be made for thefe circumftances, we fhall acquit the ancients of any exaggeration, not withftanding the very dreadful colours in which they have painted this paffage. It is formed by a low peninfula, called Cape Pelorus, ftretching to the eaftward on the Sicilian fide, immediately within which lies the faraous whirlpool of Charybdis, and by the Rocks of Scylla, which a few miles below on the Gala- brian fhore, project towards the weft. The current runs with furprifing force from one to the other alternately in the direction of the tide, and the tides them felves are very irregular. Thus-, veffek by fhunning the one were in the utmoft danger of being fwallowed up by the other. At TO CONSTANTINOPLE. H7 At prefent, in moderate weather, when the tide is either at ebb or flood, boats pafs all over the whirl pool, but, in general, it is like the meeting of two contending currents, with a number of eddies all around. And, even now, there is fcarcely a winter in which there are not fome wrecks. At the time we paffed the ftrait, the weather was as favourable as we could wifh, and yet, in fpite of a ftrong breeze and the current, which hurried us on with furprifing velocity, the fhip's head was fuddenly whirled round near three points ; but the wind blowing frefh, in a few feconds fhe dafhed through the eddy that had caught her— for, to avoid Scylla, and fecure Meffina, we had kept pretty clofe to Charyb- dis. I 1 The 1 1 8 A T O U R The entrance of thefe ftraits is, I am convinced, not lefs than three miles wide, but I have never heard it allowed to be fo much. After paffing Charybdis, the fea immediately widens, but Cape Pelorus and Scylla in a manner croffing each other, the paffage cannot be per ceived until you are on the point of en tering it, which gave rife to a tradition, that Hannibal, fancying himfelf betrayed and land-locked, put his Pilot Pelorus to death ; but that, as an atonement, he afterwards erected a ftatue to his me mory, from which the Cape took its name. This action, however, is fo contradictory to the hiftory, experience, and difpofition of Hannibal, that no body could ever have raifed fuch a ftory, but one who had never read the life of this magnanimous hero. Few countries have experienced more revolutions than Sicily; the richnefs of 2 the TO CONSTANTINOPLE. II9 the foil and the temperature of the climate, added to its commanding fituation, hav ing always made it an object of attrac tion. After the dark ages it was fuC- ceffively poffeffed by the Greeks, and the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Goths, and the Saracens. In later times, it has generally fhared the fate of Naples ; but by the Treaty of Utrecht, it was given to the Duke of Savoy," who, however, was foon obliged, by the Quadruple Alliance, to return it to the Emperor, in exchange for Sardinia. The Spaniards feized this op portunity of renewing their claims, and fent a large armament, which had fub dued the whole ifland, except Meffina, which they were befieging, when Sir George Byng appeared with the Britifh fleet. I 4 The 1-20 .3 J1 A TOUR The Spanifh fquadron, apprized of his approach, paffed through the^ ftraitSj and ftpo.4 to the fputhward ; Sir- George purfued and brought it to action. Qur fleet confifted, of; twenty-one fail of the line, carrying 1400 guns, the enemy's. of eighteen, carrying 992 guns. Both fides fought bravely, but our fuperior numbers foon prevailed. Don. Antoaio April nth, ^e Cafteneta, the Spanifh Ad- 171,8,. miral, was taken prifoner, and, only feven of his two-deckers efcaped, of whichL the greater part. were, after wards burnt at Meffina, ^.nd one, was, loft in the Gulf of Tarento. Many of the frigates were alfo taken. Six line of battle flaps* and as- many fmaller men of war, which fep^rated from the main, body of the Spanifh fleet, at the commencement of the action, were purfued by Commodore Walton, and every one taken or burnt; on which 3 occafion TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 12 f oecafion he wrote this famous letter. " We have taken or deftroyed all the ** enemy's fhips and veffels on the coaft, * as per margin." After this victory, Sir George Byng convoyed an army from the continent, and befieged the citadel of Meffina, which the enemy's troops had now taken ; and when the place was nearly reduced, a difpute arifing among the allies on fhore, about the Spanifh men of war in the mole, Sir George, knowing that it is more our intereft to reduce the navy of the reft of Europe, than to increafe our own, caufed batteries to be erected for fheMs and red-hot fhot, and ended the contention, by deftroying the caufe. The lofs of their fleet, and many other difafters, obliged the Spaniards to accede to- the Quadruple Alliance in 1720, and to relinquifh their claim to Sicily 122 A TOUR Sicily and Sardinia. But the Emperor having forfeited the protection of Eng land, the Spaniards, about fifteen years after this treaty, made themfelves matters of Sicily and Naples, as I have already related. Meffina was furrounded on the land fide by a ftrong rampart, which, fince the earthquake, has been entirely ne glected. The Citadel is a regular fquare fort, with ravelins, counterguards, and a good covered way. It ftands on that part of the neck of land which forms the mole, where this neck joins the ifland, and is kept in excellent condi tion ; yet notwithftanding its artificial ftrength, it is of little ufe but as a place of arms, fince an enemy having pofleffion of the town, may deftroy every veffel under its guns; but two other ftrong caftles fecure the fhipping from any infult from the fea. The TO CONSTANTINOPLE. II23 The neighbourhood is exceffively fertile and populous, and we find the people very civil ; but in the interior country, I am told they are rather fa-* ¥age. LETTER 1 24 A TOUR- LETTER XIII. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Modern, O&obcr 19. MY DEAR FRIEND, \KT E are, at laft, arrived on the con fines of Greece, a venerable name, now almoft loft in that of Turkey in Europe, and its former fpkndour fo en tirely reverfed, that I am particularly fortunate in finding a conveyance for a letter. Here are no pofts in this ne glected country, and the people once fo accomplifhed, are in utter ignorance of what paffes in the world, except from the vague reports they get from yeffels, which now and then put in here. And this, alas ! is the unhappy fate of all the fouth and eaftern coaft of Greece. But TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 12$ But before I fay any thing more of this place, I muft carry you back to Meffina, and give you fome account of our voyage. Thurfday, October 9th. We left Meffina at eleven o'clock this morning, and at twelve paffed Reggio on the coaft of Calabria. The country appears extremely barren, but is full of inhabitants and fmall towns. Juft before midnight, when all below were locked in fleep, and even thofe upon deck had fcarce ftrength to refift the drowfy langour brought on by four hours duty ; in this filent moment, when fuperftitiori, ever powerful in the mind of the faiior, gains new force from the furrounding gloom, the Watch were rouzed With terror and aftomfhment, by a fudden illumination of the whole at- mofphere. Their eyes, ihftantly turned to Heaven^ were fcarce reverted, when every 126 A TOUR every part of the fhip appeared in a blaze, and continued fo for many fe- conds. Struck by fo awful a fight, in the dead of the night, a general fiknce pre vailed, and many, unable to divine the caufe of fo fudden, and fo tremendous an apparition, thought the laft day was approaching. Their fears were ftill in- creafed by obferving through the fails, an immenfe ball of fire floating in the air a-head of the fhip ; but they were, at length, relieved by its falling into the fea. The account our friends gave us the next morning, led us into a differtation on fireballs, which philofophers fay are produced by an exceeding great power of electricity, gradually accumulated, un til the refiftance of the atmofphere being no longer able to fuftain it, it drops down flowly, and in no particular di rection, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I2y erection, not being drawn by any fub- ftance which would attract this electric matter, in the fhape of common light ning. October ioth. Sunfet. A wefterly breeze has car ried us paft Cape Spartevento, and we • is raifed upon ourfelves, and does not chack, the importation of this foreign commodity, fince we confume thre$-» fourths of what the ifland yields. It might, therefore, as well be Jkvied on fome of our own productions, as on our hereditary plumb-pudding. October TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I35 October 17th. Having paffed two little forts, called the Navarins, at noon we anchored off Modbn, Lat. 370, Long. 150 45', diftant from Gibraltar near fourteen hundred miles. And now, having brought the fhip to an anchor, I fhall proceed with the obfervations I introduced at the com mencement Of this letter. Modon is a fmall Turkifh town, on the fouth-weft corner of the Morea, -which you recollect is the Peloponnefus fif the Ancients, and almoft an ifland, being feparated from the reft of Greece by the gulph oi Lepanto, and only joined to it by the narrow jfthmus of Corinth. After the Greek and Roman ages, it was conquered by the Turks, and afterwards by the Venetians, to whom fhe former ceded it by the Treaty of Carlowitz, but retook it in 17 15, and have main tained it ever fince, notwithftanding that, during their laft war, Modon was taken K4 by I 36 A T O U R by the Ruffians, who were immediately joined by the Greeks ; but the Turks fending a large army thither, Count prlow and his troops were obliged to abandon their affociates to the fury of their enemies, who maffacred fifteen thoufand of them, This is the Turkifh method of termir nating a rebellion, which they fay is only to be done by deftroying the feeds : but, to palliate their inhumariity,' they' allege, , that, whenever the Greeks have gained any advantage, they have been ftill more barbarous ; that they have fpared neither age nor fex ; but that, after being guilty of every other brutalir ty to the women, fo facred. among Mahometans, not fatisfied with flaying them, they haye even carried their re-- venge fo far as to expofe their naked corpfes to be devoured by dogs and birds. pf prey. Heaven TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I 37 Heaven forbid that fuch cruel bar- harity fhould exift. But I. cannot pre tend tb give you a juft account of the manners and difpofitions of thefe two people on fo flight an acquaintance, efpecially as the light in which they seprefent each other, is very different from that in which they appear to us. Neftor's kingdom was in this diftrict. I h.ave found no antiquities worthy notice; and. 1 time does not permit me to take a journey in fearch of Pylos. A fmall caftk projects into the fea off Mod'on ; and the town has walls round it ; but they are much out of repair. The Governor lives in a wretched hovel, which refufes admittance neither to the wind nor to the rain. He is civil enough, and all his people feem glad to fee us. The harbour is formed by a fet of little iflands, which lie off the town, at fome I38 A T O UR fome miles diftance ; the moft weftern is the famous Spactaria, the taking of which is one of the moft noted -events in the Peloponnefian war. It is now called the Ifle of Wifdom ; but for what reafon I cannot guefs, as it is totally uninhabited, and produces nothing but brufhwood. ,- The paffages between the different iflands make this a charming port for cruizers, fince they can be confined neither by- wind nor by an ^enemy. Captain Moore, of the Fame .privateer, often put in here during the war,, and has impreffed the people with very fa vorable ideas of the Englifh, LETTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 1 39 LETTER XIV. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Smyrna, November 14 th. MY DEAR FRIEND, /CONVINCED that you will be happy 'to hear of our arrival in Afia, I take advantage of the firft courier to fend you a letter. :: In4epea4ent. of the fatisfaction of be ing in 3 region fo noted ia hiftory, and of traverfing fcenes which one has fo often contemplated in the page of an tiquity, we have the happinefs of find ing a fociety we did not expect in this loft country — a foil where the iron hand of Defpptifm ehecks every generous fentiment in the vanquifhed Greek, and where 14© A TOUR where the conqueror Turk, proud in his ignorance, fcorns the refinements of more enlightened people, and looks down with infolence or contempt on every nation but his own. He has, however, many good qualities ; and his true cha racter, I perceive, is not eafily delineated. I fhall confider him attentively, and from time to time fend you thofe traits I dis cover. In the mean while, I will con-' elude this letter with my Journal from our leaving- Modon to our arrival at this city.- Saturday, October 20th. At eight o'clock this morning, we left Modon, and, at three in the afternoon, were oppofite Cape Matapan,; The coun try appears barren ; but there are feveral villages . in fight. .• f n the night, we entered the Archipe lago, or iEgean> Sea, by paffing between Cytherea (the Ifland of Venus, now called Serigo) TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 141 Serigo) and Cape Angelo, the fouth-eaft point of the Morea. This neighbourhood is inhabited by a neft of pirates, who call themfelves the real defcendants of the Lacedemo nians, and, though fubject to the Turks, acknowlege no law. In calm weather, they come off in large boats, and plunder every veffel that paffes, but feldom feize on any fhip, or even moleft the people, provided they allow them to take all they want. It is very remarkable, that, although the French have always a force in thefe feas, their veffels are more frequently plundered than thofe of any other na tion ; and there are very few inftances of ours being infulted, notwithftanding the Greeks fo feldom fee a Britifh man of war. But, 142 A TOUR But, for fear of accidents, we fhort- ened fail, to convoy the Adventure, of Plymouth, which we had Juft over taken. ' The three Sclavonians who feized the Duchefs of Tufcany, bound from Gib raltar, meant to have brought her here, but being obliged to put into Zante, they were difcovered and executed. Sunday, October 21ft. Becalmed in the fcene' of Falconer's Shipwreck, Crete juft difcernible on our right, Falcanero on our left, and Milo a-head. Lat. 3 6° 38'. At dufk the wind fprang up, with violent fqualls, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and foon burft forth in a furious ftorm. We were now in a moft unpleafant fituation, Milo was become a dangerous lee TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 143 lee fhore. It was no comfort to know tha£ there was an excellent harbour a few miles to leeward. Darknefs pre vented our feeing the entrance to it. We were, therefore, obliged to haul clofe to the wind, and by fkill, atten tion, and perfeverance, happily wea thered the moft windward point of the ifland. The wind then abated, and the fea became lefs violent ; but the next morn ing the ftorm was fuddenly renewed, and we were affailed more furioufly than ever; but as day-light came to our affiftance, we made the beft of our way towards the harbour, and a pilot getting on board, we were fafe at an anchor be fore twelve o'clock. Some centuries before Chrift, Milo was a flourifhing Republic, but having refufed its affiftance to Greece, when it was 144 A tour was invaded by the Perfians, the Athe-* niaris, having defeated the Barbarians^ attacked the Miliotes, arid after feveral repulfes, at laft entirely overthrew them, and as a punifhment, all the men who efcaped the fword, were carried into Attica. But at the clofe of A. A. C. 404. the Peloponnefian war, the Athenians being fubdued by the Lace demonians, Milo was reftored to its li berty. It was afterwards taken by the Romans, and has ever fince fhared the fate of the Eaftern Empire. And for fome centuries the Greeks have been flaves in a country, from which they often carried their arms into that of their prefent Lords. Whatever the Turk conquers, he im mediately confiders as his own, whe ther it be land, cattle, men, women, or children, and inftantly appropriates it to his ufe, either by fale, exchange, or poffeffion. But TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 14$ But as an act of grace, the Sultan grants the Greeks a temporary emanci pation from year to year, for which they* pay an annual capitation tax of feven fhillings each perfon. At the commencement of this cen tury the ifland contained feventeen churches, ' and eleven chapels; and the whole fpace from the town to the harr bour, which is near two miles, was laid out in beautiful gardens. But alas! how wretchedly is it altered, three-fourths of the towns are in ruins, and the inhabi tants are daily decreafing. Of the gar dens fcarce a veftige is left; and the baths on the water fide are now only a fet of fmall, dirty caves. Eight or ten yards from the fhore the hot fpring, which fupplied them, is feen boiling through the fait water, and the fand is, I think, ftill hotter than that of Baia. But perhaps I fpeak from the pain my L curiofity I46 'A TOUR curiofity coft me being more recent in my memory. The women, fo cekbrated for their beauty, are now fallow, unhealthy, and difguftingly ugly ; and render themfelves ftill more hideous by their drefs, which is a kind of loofe jacket, with a white cotton petticoat, that fcarcely covers two thirds of their thighs, barely meeting the ftocking above the knee. Then- hind hair hangs down the back in a number of plaits ; that on the fore part of the head is combed down eaGh fide of the face, and terminated by a fmall, ftiff curl, which is even with the lower part of the cheek. All the inhabitants are Greeks; for the Turks are not fond of trufting them felves in the fmall iflands ; but every furnmer the Captain Bafhaw goes round with a fquadron to keep them in fub- jection, and to collect the revenue. When TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 1 47, When the Ruffians made themfelves mafters of the Archipelago, during the late war, many of the iflands declared in their favour ; but being abandoned at the peace, they were fo feverely mulcted by the Grand Signior, that our pilot tells me, they are determined to remain perfectly quiet. But as the Turks do not think them worth a garrifon, and will not truft them with arms and am munition, all thofe which the Ruffians may choofe to invade, will be obliged to fubmit. The two points which form the en trance of the harbour, crofting each other, render it imperceptible until you are clofe to it. Thus, while you are perfectly fecure within it, you find great difficulty in getting out, particularly in a northerly wind. And as no trade is carried on,- except a little in corn and fait, Milo would fcarce ever be vifited, were it not that being the firft ifland one makes L 2 in I48 A TOUR in the Archipelago, the pilots have cho- fen it for their refidence. They live in a little town on the top of a high rock, which, from its fituation and appearance, is called The Cajile. Partridges abound in this ifland, and are fo cheap, that you may buy one for a charge of powder only. The peafants get them by ftanding behind a port able fcreen, with a fmall aperture in the center, in which they place the muzzle of their piece, and then draw the par tridge by a call. When a fufficient number are collected, they fire among them, and generally kill from four to feveri at a fhot. But even this method of getting them is fo experifive, from the fcarcity of ammunition, that the people can never afford to fhoot them but When there are gentlemen in the ifland, from whom they can beg a little powder and fhot. Several TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 149 Several of us have killed four or five in an afternoon walk, putting them up ourfelves, without even the affiftance of ia dbg. Thurfday, October 25th. At day-break we got under way, with •a -light breeze, and at midnight an chored at Paros, another of the Greek iflands, and which is in a much better ftate than Milo. The men look more healthy, and the women not fo ugly. The water here is excellent ; and as that we got at Meffina has been com plained of, as being too hard to make proper peafe-foup for the people, all the cafks are ordered to be emptied and re filled. Whilft its marble quarries continued to be worked, Paros was one of the moft flourifhing of the Cyclades; but on the decline of the Eaftern Empire, : L 3 they .15° A TOUR they were entirely neglected, and, are now converted into caves, in which the Ihepherds fhelter their flocks. We have been in feveral of thefe fubterraneous folds, which put me much in mind of Homer's defcription of Polyphemus, The common walls are almoft entire ly compofed of marble ; and in exa mining a very fmall part of orie, we found feveral pieces of cornice^ vaA-baffo refieVQ. , Several fine blocks of marble — frag ments of columns, are lying clofe to the water's edge, and feem to ^ have beep brought there by travellers, w|io for want of a proper purchafe tp get them on board, have not been able to carry them farther, r-j After the battle of, , Marathon, ,Mil- .tiades was feat to lay Paros under con tribution, on account of its joining the Perfians ; but the inhabitants made fo refohite TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I5I refolute a defence, that all the efforts of that excellent General were unable to reduce them ; and, at length, having loft a number of his men, and being himfelf wounded, MiltiadeS, hearing that the Perfians were making preparations for a fecond invafion, returned to Athens, where his ungrateful countrymen, for getful of his eminent fervices, fentenced him to pay the expences of the expe dition ; and being unable to raife this fine, the Great Deliverer of Greece was thrown into prifon ; and, to the eternal infamy of the Athenians, he died of the wounds he had received in their fervice ! The Riaffians made this their grand arfenal ; their powder magazines, and feveral other buildings, are ftill ftanding, and the ifland is confiderably indebted to them for improving the corivenience for water, and for the trade Which the L 4 cafh l$2 A TOUR cafh they expended, introduced among the inhabitants. Delos is about five leagues off, Naxos two, and Antiparos about the fame diftance. In the laft there is a cavern, which is reckoned one of the greateft wonders of the Archipelago; but as a natural curiofity, it is by no means equal to Saint Michael's Cave at Gibraltar. A. multitude of names are cut near the entrance. Lady Craven's is among the lateft. Tuefday, October 30th. Sailed from Paros, with an intention of vifiting Delos in our way to Smyrna, but -the wind .changing, we ftood to the . north- weft, profiting, by this op portunity, tp fupply the fhip with wood, .»•»,¦ ' Wednefday, October 31ft, , * Anchored between the Ifland of Longa and the. Coaft. of ImmortalAttica. But my TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 153 tny heart bleeds whilft* I fttrvey the fad change it has undergone. In vain do I fearch for the defcendants of thofe ruftic patriots, whofe valour enabled Mil- tiades and Themiftocks to overthrow the Perfian hoft by fea and land, or for thofe well cultivated fields, where art con cealed the frugality of nature. Alas! far as the beft glafs can reach, no fign of a dwelling can be feen ; and the country, for want of inhabitants, lies en tirely neglected. After almoft defpairing of meeting a human being, I one day fell in with two men grazing a confiderable number of horfes, which I imagined was a nur- fery for the Turkifh Cavalry; but on mentioning this to the Greeks who at tended them, they anfweredno ; that the bnly ufe they were of was to tread out the corn in fummer; in return for which they grazed them from place to place in winter. I alfo found a fmall chapel, not 154 A TOUR not bigger than an hermitage, to which the people from the interior country, on particular occafions, refort. Part of the neighbourhood is covered with wood, which any one may take who choofes to cut it. Longa, the once celebrated Ifland of Helen, is entirely depopulated, and produces nothing. Our pilot calls this Port Maundre. It has the fame advantage I remarked at Modon, a paf fage at each end of the ifland, If you can believe that I am within a day's journey .of Athens, how will you envy my being fo near the mother of the arts and fciences, and what will you fay when I tell you that I did not go there. But be affured it was riot through want of exertion; but from the im practicability, of getting there by land in thefe hoftile times. But whilft the people were wooding,- I went in a boat to the Promontory of Sunium, to fee the remains of the Temple "of Minerva, 2 which TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I 55 which I take to be one of the moft an cient remaining in Greece. If we may credit Homer, it was cotemporary with Troy; for in the third book of the Odyfley, Neftor, after relating the fe- duction of Clytemneftra, paffing to the return of the Greeks, fays, ¦ " But when to Sunium's fa.cred point we came, *' CrOwn'd with the Temple of the Athenian Dame, " Atrides Pilot* Phrontes, there expired, &c." In fome. ground lately opened I found a human fcull, and fome other burnt bones. What,; antiquarian will object to their being thofe of this ill-fated pilot? A confiderable part of the architrave of the Temple is ftill: iftanding, fupported by fifteen columns, nine of which are in a row, each nineteen feet high, and near eleven in circumference. The whok edifice was of Parian marble. Vaft quan- titks of fragments and broken columns are I56 A TOUR are lying all around, and the Temple is ftill a beautiful, and a venerable object, on whatever fide you approach the Pro montory. November 5th. Got under way at day-light, and hav ing paffed the fouth point of Negro- ppnt (the ancient Eubcea) and Andros, were oppofite the center, of the Ifland of Teno at twelve o'clock the next day. It feems populous and well culti vated. Lat. 370 33'. Paros, Delos, and feveral other iflands in •fight. , November 7 th. We were within a few leagues of Scio at day-break, and being driven to the fouth ward, had a diftant view of Samos, the birth place of Juno. We were em ployed all this and the next day in work ing to windward, between the continent of Afia Minor and the Ifland of Scio, famous" for- producing the nectar of the ancients, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I 57 ancients, and for the beauty of its wo men. The ladies, I am told, are as charming as ever, but the wine has loft its lufcious qualities. The town is large and ftraggling; it feems to have fome works, but they are in a very forry con dition. The road is quite open. Before we reached the town, we paffed the bay of Chifeme, on the Afiatic fhore, where the Turkifh fleet was deftroyed by the Ruffians. Friday, Nov. 9th, 1787. A light breeze fprang up fair late laft night, with which we entered the Gulf of Smyrna, and early this afternoon an chored off the town. 1ETTER I58 A TOUR LETTER XV. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Smyrna, November 29th. MY DEAR FRIEND, CMYRNA is the only ancient town of Afia Minor, that continues to thrive. It flourifhed many centuries be fore Chrift, but was almoft deftroyed by an earthquake in the reign of Mark An thony, and has never fince recovered its former fplendour. For although its ad vantageous fituation for trade foon drew new inhabitants, yet, to leflen the .effect of a fimilar cataftrophe, the houfes are all very low. The ftreets are in general dirty, narrow, and ill-paved, for the natives never ftudy regularity in the fcite of their buildings, and the Europeans, crowding TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 1 59 crowding to the water fide, found no room to fpare for ornament. The French have the moft numerous factory. The Englifh are next in num ber of houfes, but the Dutch exceed us in fhipping. The Venetian and Ragu- fee veffels are very numerous, but they are feldom more than carriers. The great advantage England derives from the trade to this country is, that the commodities we bring here are home- wrought, whilft the filk, cotton, and mohair, with which we are repaid, are raw articles, that are afterwards manu factured by ourfelves, find work for our people, and are then exported to different parts of the world, and fome of them even brought back here. Befides filk and cotton, we take fruit and drugs, fome of which are alfo re exported; but I am forry to find, that though 160 A TOtTR though pur Levant trade is more flou-" rifhing than it has been for many years? paft, yet its rife is confiderably checked by our own laws, and by the want of a regular Lazaretto in England. If there is the leaft fufpicion of the plague being at Smyrna, no veffel, even of our own nation, is permitted to dif- charge her cargo in Britain, previous to her having performed a quarantine in fome other part of Europe ; for our Lazarettos do not admit veffels from infected ports. But fince our manu factories muft be fupplied with filk and cotton, our merchants are obliged, to employ the Dutch, who land their goods in a Lazaretto in Holland, and after a fhort quarantine performed there, fend them over to us. Thus do we fuffer foreigners to deprive our feamen of employment, and our country of its juft profits. The TO CONSTANTINOPLE. l6l The caufe that produces this' prejudice to our Levant Company, is Our dread of the plagUe. But are we more likely to be infected by this diftemper than the Dutch ? Or is England lefs able than Holland to fet apart a fmall place for a regular Lazaretto ? There are in numerable fpots in our ifland which might be inclofed for this purpofe, where goods from infected places might be properly aired, and afterwards intro duced with more fafety by our own fub- jetts, than we at prefent receive them from the Dutch. A perfon who has not been in the Levant, cannot conceive the inconve nience and diftrefs arifing to our nation, from this want of a Lazaretto. The enterprifing fpirit of the Englifh leads them every where in fearch of employ ment. A veffel arrives at Smyrna — fhe gets a cargo, and the laft day of her" loading perhaps the plague appears on M fhore. 162 A TOUR fhore. What is fhe to do ? She cannot "fail for England — fhe muft either fub- mit to a ruinous lofs, unload imme diately, and fly to another port in queft of a freight, or go to one of the La zarettos of Italy, France, or Malta, there perform a quarantine, land and refhip her cargo ; and after having, to the pre judice of the nation, laid out a confi derable fum in a foreign port, fhe ar rives at Stangate Creek ; where, though the fhip perhaps is not long detained, the cargo is put into one of the hulks, and aired with greater care and length of time, than the cotton has been which we receive without any apprehenfion from Holland *. That * The Author fince his' return to England, has been at Stangate Creek, where he found that cot ton, and other enumerated goods brought over from Holland, now undergo a fimilar procefs to thofe, which, after having performed a quarantine in a foreign Lazaretto, are brought home by the Englifh. TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 163 That precautions are neceffary nobody will deny; but why fhould we fhackle our own people more than the Dutch ? Or why fhould we be more afraid of allowing goods from an infected place to be landed in one of the many Wafte fpots of Kent, Effex, Devonshire, or Cornwall, than foreigners are of receiv ing them at the very gates of their capital cities. I fhall write you a long letter on this fubject, when I have gained more experience in the nature of the plague, which I can already affure you is by no means fo dangerous a diftemper as Europeans imagine it. The factory have great hopes that the generous Philanthrope, who lately vi- fited Afia, will intereft himfelf in their favour. This amiable patriot knows that Englifh. But ftill the inconvenience to our own people is not leiTened, nor ever will, till we have a complete Lazaretto of our own. M 2 the 164 A TOUR the navy is the bulwark of Britain, and that whatever tends to decreafe the num ber of our feamen, tends to diminifh the ftrength of our country ; a truth fo interefting to an Englifhman, that I hope to God the accounts I hear of a moft alarming decreafe in our Greertlandmen are much exaggerated. A proper Laza retto in England, by increafing our fhip- ping in the Levant, would afford a fufte- nance to many of thofe invaluable fub- jects, whom a perhaps too rigid public oeconomy has bereft of bread. There are many inconveniencies at tending a correfpondence between this country and Europe. The poft fets out and arrives but twice a month. It goes through Conftantinople and Vienna, and unlefs letters to and from England are taken up, and paid for at each of thofe , places, they will never reach their deftination. The want of a more 2 regular TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 165 regular communication muft be fen- fibly felt in a place of fo much trade. We found near one hundred fail of merchantmen in the bay, every one of whom faluted us; for, to raife the European Powers in the eyes of the Turks, it is the cuftom at Smyrna to falute every man of war that enters the port. The fame ceremony was per* formed on our going on fhore the next day; and, as foon as we landed at Mr. Hayes', we were waited upon by the Confuls and Factories of the dif ferent nations, who have given us the moft flattering reception. Scarce ari evening paffes without a ball or a con cert, or fome other party, for our amufement : but I am much furprifed at the exceffive dread in which the Chriftians live of their fellow fubjects-, the Mahometans. They dwell in fepa rate diftricts, and are as fearful of going promifcuoufly among them, as into a M 3 den 1 66 A TOUR den of wild beafts. The Turks have, indeed, a lordly, imperious air, which I fuppofe they acquire from the abject manner of the Greeks, who, being 'a conquered people, are always fufpected of rebellious intentions, and almoft ex tirpated on the leaft appearance of an infurre<£tion ; which obliges them to crouch fo much to the conquerors, that they imagine all other Chriftians equally daftardly, and hold us in the fame light as We do the Jews — a mean, money- making, unbelieving feet : but I am con*. vinced, that • if we went more among them, we fhould hear of fewer infults. I was fo confident of this, that, without •mentioning my intentions, I fet out, arid, after walking round the Turkifh town, ftruck down through its very tenter, without meeting any interrup tion, except from one man, who, point ing at me, called out Bah ! and two or three boys, who threw ftones, but who were immediately called in by their father. TO CONSTANTINOPLE. l6f father. I doubt whether a foreigner, in a ftrange drefs, would pafs through London with fo little mokftation. Neverthelefs, like the Jews in England, there have been inftances here of the Chriftians being moft inhumanly maffa- cred ; but this has never happened but after fome fignal difafter to the Turks, to which they fuppofed they had con tributed ; fuch as the deftruction of their fleet in the Chifeme, which they knew the Ruffians could not have effected without the affiftance of other powers; and the rabble make very little diftinc- tion of nations, confounding all Eu ropeans together, under the appellation of Franks. The poor Greeks complain much of their cruelty and oppreffion ; but, in points of honour, our merchants tell me no people are ftricter than the Turks. In other refpects, the reports they give M4 of l6fc A TOUR of their laws and cuftoms, vary fo much, that it is impoffible for a ftranger, as I am, and ignorant of the language of the country, to fend you a more perfect account. LETTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE. l6§l LETTER XVI.. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Smyrna, December 31ft. MY DEAR FRIEND, /"T-SHE Emprefs of Ruflia's late journey to the Crimea, and the confederacy formed there by her Majefty and the Emperor of Germany, have given the late ftroke to thofe reiterated provoca tions which would, long ere this, have excited to arms a people lefs irafcible than the Turks : but, however inclined the nation at large might be to refent the infults of the Ruffians, arid the fre quent infringements of the Treaty of Cainardgie, yet their fiery fpirit was kept in awe by the pacific difpofition of the reigning Sultan. Abdoul 17© A T O U R Abdoul Hamet is a Prince of a humane and virtuous character ; and, although the peace of 1774 was forced upon his country, he determined moft religioufly to adhere to the conditions it impofed. At the time this treaty was concluded, the Porte was in a moft deplorable ftate, to which it was in a great meafure re duced by the unprecedented fupport the Englifh afforded to the ambitious views of the Court of Peterfburg, againft a nation with whom we were at peace. The Spaniards were well inclined to prevent the Ruffian fleet entering the Me diterranean ; but their objections were quafhed at once by the interference of fo brilliant a Power as England : a Power wliofe all-conquering force the Court of Spain had fo recently felt, in the re peated victories of the immortal Chatham, which had obliged her to fupplicate peace at the feet of our glorious Sovereign. 3 A George, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 171 A George, and a Chatham, are names which the patriotic Englifhman could for ever dwell upon ; but both the politics of the one, and the virtues of the other, are too exalted to be extended by a panegyric from my humble pen. To re turn, then, to the Turks, and to a time when, I am forry to fay, our prejudice in favor of Ruffia, made us adopt a line of conduct in a high degree contrary to bur own intereft: The terror of the Englifh having compelled the Spaniards to fuffer the Ruffians' to enter the Medi terranean, our port at Mahon imme diately received them with open arms. Here they were not only fupplied with every refrefhment, but our hofpitals, nay, even our arfenals, were opened to them, and every encouragement was given to our officers and feamen, to enter into their fervice. Thus fupplied and equipped, the Ruffian fleet failed for the Archipelago, and 1/2 A TOUR and gave battle to the Turks. Victory (as may naturally be fuppofed, from the fuperior abilities and nautical experience of Commodore Elphinftone and the Britifh officers) declared for the Ruffians. The Ottoman fleet retired to the Bay of Chifeme ; and the Mofcovites, un- accuftomed to naval exertions, were not difpofed to purfue their advantage. It was with the utmoft difficulty that Com modore Elphinftone could perfuade them to follow the enemy, and attack him in port : but at length, by threats and en treaties, having ftimulated them to this enterprize, he led them to the Chifeme the enfuing night. The Turks, aftonifhed at the unexpected attack, were inftantly panic-ftruck, and, without any fhew of defence, abandoned and fet fire to their fhips. Thus did an Englifhman give a fatal blow to the Turkifh empire — a blowfrom TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 173 from which I much doubt whether the Porte will ever recover. Commodore Elphinftone inftantly pufhed for the Dardanelles, and, by guarding the entrance of thofe ftraits, cut off all communication by fea be tween Conftantinople and the fouthern provinces. The capital was ftreightened for provifions ; Egypt revolted, and moft of the Greek iflands joined the Ruffians. Thefe were the firft confequences of the difafter at Chifeme ; and every day brought on others ftill more diftreffing to the Porte. The Ruffian fleet, now unoppofed, was enabled to attack every part of the Turkifh coaft in the Adriatic, the Archi pelago, and the Mediterranean ; and, although the troops they had on board were but few, yet, from the facility with which 1 74 A T O U R which they were tranfported from place to place, the Turks were obliged to de tach a very large part of their grand army to oppofe their different attacks. But this was not all. Many of the foldiers employed to the north, were volunteers from the fouthern provinces, who, hearing that their own homes were attacked, deferted in large corps. Thefe deTertions, and the detachments fent to the fouth, weakened and difcouraged the northern army fo much, that the Ruffians gained repeated victories, and at laft compelled the Porte to fue for peace. The Treaty of Cainardgie was highly humiliating in itfelf, and was rendered ftill more fo by the haughty manner of the Ruffians, which feemed entirely calculated to provoke the Turks to hofti- lities, in which they have at laft fuo* ceeded. Monfieur TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 175 Monfieur Bulgakow, the Ruffian En voy, who had been fent for by the Emprefs, to affift at the conferences be tween her Majefty and the Emperor of Germany, and probably to give the Confederate Powers information of the difpofition, and the meafures moft likely to be purfued by the Porte, had no fooner returned to Conftantinople, than the Turkifh Miniftry, convinced of the oppreflive and afpiring views of the Court of Peterfburgh, made the Envoy a formal reprefentation of the many caufes of complaint his Court had given to the Porte. This reprefentation was followed by a fecond ; but the Envoy, in conformity, I fuppofe, to the plan agreed upon at Cherfon, gave no manner of fatisfaction, and the hoftile views of his Court be coming every day more notorious, the Porte fummoned him to a conference on the 1 6th of Auguft, and there de manded I76 A T O U R manded a categorical explanation of the intentions of the Emprefs towards the Turks. M. Bulgakow's anfwers appearing va gue and unfatisfactory, the Divan de termined to have recourfe to arms, and in conformity to the Turkifh cuftom on fuch occafions, the Envoy, with part of his fuite and attendants, were fent to the Seven Towers, where, though ftate prifoners, they have every indulgence but liberty. And fuch is the pacific difpofition of the Sultan, that he de clares his only motive in going to war, is to inforce the conditions impofed by the Treaty of Cainardgie — a treaty, which, though the moft difadvantageous the Turks ever figned, he declares him felf ftill ready to renew. The manifefto publifhed by the Porte ftates, that ever fince the year 1774, the Court of Ruffia has been conftantly infringing TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 1,77 ihfringing the Treaty of Cainardgie, and difturbing the harmony which that treaty was intended to fecure. That fhe has even feized on the Crimea, and raifed up Prince Heraclius, who was an ackhow- leged vaffal of the Porte. That not content with endeavouring to drive the Oczakowians from their own falt-pans, and mariy other attacks, fhe proceeded fo far as to order her Envoy to make a demand of feveral dangerous and hu miliating conceffions from the Porte, and to threaten, that in cafe of a refufal, Prince Potemkin, with 70,000 men, had orders to advance to the frontiers. That fince the Porte could not with any fafety agree to thefe conditions, fhe was oblige ed to declare war. And fubmits her motives to the equity of her friends. So vigorous a ftep was not imme diately expected by the Emprefs ; and had the Turks been in any degree pre pared for the hoftile meafures they were N compelled I78 A TOUR compelled to adopt, the furprife in which they took the Ruffians, would probably have given them a decifive advantage. The fact is, the Court of Peterfburgh did not expect hoftilities to commence before the enfuing fpring, and the Turks never thought of them till M. Bulgakow's return from the Crimea. Thus both parties were equally furprifed. The feafon was too far advanced for the Grand Vizir to take the field. Thofe troops, however, that could be collected on the frontiers, immediately began to act, and in different recounters with the Ruffians, have been generally victo rious. No enterprize, however, of any mo ment has as yet been undertaken by the Turks, except an attack upon Kim- bourn. This TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 179, This fortrefs is fitaated on the Ruffian fide of the Liman, or mouth of the Dnieper, exactly oppofite to Oczakow, and from its fituation is of the firft im portance. The Porte therefore ordered an immediate attempt to carry it by a coup-de-main. A detachment from Oczakow was accordingly landed in the night of the 1 1 th of October, and car^ ried all before them till they arrived at the very fcarp of the fort ; but by this time the Ruffians had recovered their furprife, and the Turks, from the nature of the enterprife, being unprepared to attempt a regular efcalade againft a gar- rifon whofe numbers they found were very little inferior to their own, were obliged to retreat. The lofs on each fide was nearly equal, and on the part of the Ruffians, M. Souwarow and M. Reck, two generals of note, were both feverely wounded. N 2 The l8o A TOUR The Court of Peterfburgh, however, has great reafon to rejoice at this efcape, fince had Kimbourn been carried, none of her veffels could have entered the Liman till it was retaken, which pro bably would not have happened this year, and confequently, fhould the Porte even choofe to act on the defenfive in the fpring, the Ruffians would ftill be obliged to begin the enfuing campaign with a fiege in their own country. Count Romanzow, with an army, has entered Polifh Ruffia, but the feafon was too far advanced for him to attempt any active operations. I have not heard any thing elfe of importance on the land fide^ but in the naval line, fortune has ftruck a capital blow in favor of the Turks. The little fleet the Emprefs had, with great difficulty, collected on the Black Sea has been entirely difperfed and dif- mafted, and a line of battle fhip, of i>.~i +. fixty- TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I'8l fixty-four guns, commanded by Captain Teefdak, to avoid being wrecked, was obliged to pufh for Conftantinople, and give herfelf up to the Turks. As fhe is Very little damaged, fhe will fail in the fpring, under the banners of the Porte. The Ruffians were before very inferior to the Turks on the Black Sea ; and the lofs of one fhip to them making a difference of two in favor of their enemies, renders their inequality ftill more defperate. The Turks having no idea of prifoners on. parole, the Ruffian Captain is fent to affociate with the Envoy in the Caftle of the Seven Towers; The reft of the fhip's company are difpofed of in the Bagnio. '4 Notwithftanding our impolitic ill ufage, fo fatal to the Turks during the laft Ruffian war, I think we are the favorite N 3 nation 1 8 2 A T O U R nation of fuch of them .as are at all acquainted with the different powers of Europe: I fay, impolitic ill ufage, be- caufe, depend upon it, the very extCnfive Empire of Turkey will never be in hgnds. fo beneficial to England, as whilft it remains in thofe of its prefent pof- feflbrs. .i The Turks, happily for us, are not a commercial people, notwithftanding their Empire has every advantage to induce them to become fo. We* cannot do without thofe valuable articles which their foil produces almoft' fopataneoufly ; and the Turk, like the eafy poffeffor of a very rich mine, allows us to enrich ourfelves at our pkafure. Three per cent, duty equally on all exports and imports, is, with little exception, their only.reftric^ tion to Europeans engaged in their trade, Would the Emprefs be equally mo-> derate, if- in poffeflion of this fertile re-* gion? TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 183 gion? Believe me fhe would not. As feveral of our manufactures could not be carried on without her productions, fhe would only give them on her own terms. Perhaps only in her own bottoms. AH her politics would be directed to increafe her trade and fhipping, and confequently her naval force ; and, thus inclined, with fuch a country, fhe would foon rife to a maritime power much beyond what the world has ever experienced. We have only to look to Tyre, to Rhodes, and many other places fcarce bigger than fpecks on the map of Turkey, to con ceive what a force might arife from this immenfe, this all producing Empire, In its prefent ftate, Turkey, as I have already hinted, may be compared to a rich mine, to which the induftrious from every nation have free aecefs. In the hands of the Emprefs it would be like fhe barred treafure of an ambitious Lord, never to be opened but to be increafed. N 4 In 184 A T 0U R In this I do not mean to reflect on her Imperial Majefty, fince, I fancy, every European power, in a fimilar fituation, would act the fame part. I only defire to evince that England will never derive fuch advantages from Turkey, as whilft it remains in the hands of the Ottomans, and confequently that it is our intereft, as well as that of every other nation that does not expedt a fhare in the partition of the Turkifh Empire, to break the confede racy between the Emprefs of Ruffia and the Emperor of Germany, and check the progrefs of the two Imperial Courts. I mention the Emperor, becaufe, though he has not yet declared war, it is very well known that he is bound, both by treaty and inclination, tp affift the Ruffians. The French Court very wifely, in the laft war, fupported the Porte ; but from the indifference with which fhe now beholds the threatened ruin of a power with TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 1 85 with whom fhe trades to fo much ad vantage, a rumour gains ground that fhe has been brought over to the am bitious views of the Imperial Courts, by the promife, that fhould their de- figns fucceed, Egypt and the Ifland of Candia fhall be given to France. Should this ever happen, England may bid adieu to the trade of the Levant,' and, in a fhort time, by the eafy com-r munication the French will eftablifh with the Eaft-Indies, by the way of the Ifthmus of Suez, they will give a fatal blow to our India trade alfo. To prevent thefe fchemes from fiic-* ceeding, our firft object is to counte nance the Spaniards in oppofing the en trance of the Ruffian fleet into the Mediterranean; fince, if the Turks can bring their whole force to act towards the ¦ north, I do not think, . now that their fleet has fuch a decided fuperiority on l86 A TOUR on the Black Sea, that they have much to fear in the prefent ftate of Europe. The King of Sweden, were he counte nanced, is well difpofed to take an open part in their favour; and this counte nance the King of Pruffia will undoubt edly afford him. -As to Europe's having any thing to dread from the Turks extending their conqueft, the idea is abfurd. Their Empire is already larger than they well can keep in order;, and, from the na<- ture of their government, the more they extend it, the more will it be weakened. Their army may make ir ruptions, but muft foon return to its proper bounds. They do not, like the Romans, in corporate the vanquifhed with the con querors, fo as, in time, to become one people, and to increafe in numbers as they increafe in territory, On the contrary TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 187 contrary, the farther the Turk 'advances in Europe, the more he augments the number of his rebellious fubjects, and by difperfing, he weakens his own. Conftantinopk excluded, the Grand Signior's fubjects in Europe are com puted at eight Greeks to one Turk. Totally different in language, manners, and religion, a natural antipathy is bred between them. The Turk fpurns the Greek as an impious daftard. The Greek, urged by revenge, is ever ripe for a revolt, and ready to join the firft invaders. If we confider this ftriking circum- ftance, and the fuccefs of the Ruffians in the laft war, it may be imagined, that On the Emperor's taking the field, the Turks will very foon Se driven out of Europe ; and of this our factory here are in the higheft apprehenfion. But we muft at the fame time recollect, 2 that l88 , A TOUR that it was England who gave force to Ruffia, in the manner I before related, and that this force, if it does not now oppofe her, will, at kaft, not operate in her favor. Monfieur St. Felix arrived here late ly with a fquadron of frigates and floops, eight in number. The Gover nor immediately fent to the French Conful to know the meaning of fo many men of war coming to this port. M. Amoreux anfwered, that they only came in for refrefhments. Whether or not it was in confequence of this meflage, I cannot take upon me to affirm, but the majority of the French fquadron put to fea in the courfe of the two follow^ ing days. This, 1 think, confirms that a jealoufy of France exifts in the minds of the Turks. LETTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE. _ 189 LETTER XVII. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Smyrna, January 15th, 1788. MY DEAR FRIEND, AT^O gain fome little knowledge of the interior country, and, at the fame time, to pay a compliment to St. Paul, we took a journey by land to Ephefus, the inhabitants of which, you may re member, were honoured with an Epiftle from him, and with having his fon Timothy for a Bifhop. It is barely forty miles from hence ; but the Turks never going beyond a foot pace in tra velling, we made it a journey of two days. We had fix horfes for ourfelves, and as many for our guides, janizary, and fervants. We were obliged to carry igo A TOUR carry all our provifions with us, even bread. Water we found in abundance j and fuch is the attention of the Turks to this valuable article of life, that we came to feveral excellent fountains when there was nothing like an habitation to be feen. The greater part of the road is execrably bad ; and the country, though in general fertile, is too thinly peopled to be much cultivated. The few inhabitants we faw in the fecond day's journey were wretchedly poor. You recollect that this is the freezing month of January, and that the winter here, though fhort, is, for a few weeks, much more fevere than one would expect in fo fouthern a latitude. Our road kd us by a fountain, where, in this cold weather, fome women were wafhing. None of . them were com pletely clothed ; and one poor girl had, for her only covering, a piece of an old blanket, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I91 blanket, with two holes torn in the up per end of it, through which, inftead of fleeves, fhe put her arms. It was too fmall to cover her cheft, too fhort to reach below her waift ; and it was with difficulty that, by holding the lower corners in her two hands, fhe made them meet. A young female, in an attire fo little adapted to the tendernefs of her fex, and to the inclemency of the feafon, moved one's very foul. I do not know that I touched the reins, and yet my horfe ftopt with his head towards her. My eye involuntarily fixed itfelf upon her; and, to the lateft moment of my life, I fhall never forget her figure. She is above the middle fize, and her limbs did not feem formed for fo expofed a fitua tion. The fun had tanned her face ; but her fkin was fmooth, and naturally deli cate, and her features of that mould, that, had fhe been born to a more happy lot, 192 A TOUR lot, fhe might have been reckoned a per-* fed beauty. It was impoffible to behold fuch art object without emotion. My horfe now advanced to her feet, and my friend ap proached her at the fame, moment. Each fearched his pockets, and prefented the little filver they contained. No hand could be fpared to receive it. In our anxiety to relieve her diftrefs, we had forgot the trial to which we had expofed her modefty. The blufhing maid ftood motionkfs ; but, encouraged by the fym- pathy and charity marked in our ap proach, fhe ventured to raife her head.— - Her eyes were turned towards us.— The tear of gratitude was fwelling in them. — She gave but one glance. — Her face was inftantly reverted to the ground. — She could not fpeak. Such unexpected modefty, in fo ex pofed a fituation, filled me with aftonifhr ment TO CONSTANTINOPLE. I93 ftient and vemeratiott. How much did I wifh to take her in my arms, and, by a kifs of affection, to exprefs the fympa- thy I bore in her diftrefs. How did I execrate the parfimony that had pre vented my having about me all the money I poffeffed.— How earlreftty did I wifh to remove her to a more flickered fate, where her beauty and her modefty might be better known and admired. Led away by thefe inclinations, I was preparing to alight. The timid virgin drew back. By figns of refpeet, fhe again raifed her eyes. Charity was fo forcibly petitioning in them, that the money which her figure at firft fight drew from my pocket, now dropt at her feet. The reins fell from my hand. My horfe inclined to the road. I would with joy have turned him back ; but I recollected my inability to relieve her. — I am only a Soldier of Fortune, and fubfift but by the bounty of my Sove- O reign : 194 A TOUR reign: a bounty which, though much fuperior to what my humble fervices entitle me to expect, is, alas ! too in- fufficient to fupport the appearance re quired from an Officer, and often com pels the military Philanthrope to fupprefs every charitable emotion. The road being but little frequented, the caravanfera, or public inn, we flopped at the firft night of our journey, was nothing but a large hovel, one end of which was appropriated to travellers, and the other, without any partition, to their cattle : but we were fortunate enough to be accommodated with a Greek hut, where, with the affiftance of a good fire, we paffed a tolerable night. At Ephefus we were not fo lucky. We were obliged to fleep promifcuoufly among the Turks, one or other of whom was fmoking all night long. I obferved that they eat very little, but that, after every TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 195 every nap, they took a pipe, and a fip of coffee : I fay, a fip ; for the Turkifh cups are fcarce bigger than a Walnut fhell ; but of thefe they drink an amazing number, and their coffee is always ex ceedingly ftrong. We were heartily rejoiced when we returned to our old Greek hut on the road, but, to our great difappointment, found it poffeffed by a Turk. Luckily, he expreffed a great defire to tafte our beer ; and we feized this opportunity to get rid of him, by defiring our janizary to invite him to partake of a bottle of it at the caravanfera. A janizary*s invita tion is only a civil command ; but we did not choofe to make ufe of his authority until we could give the Turk a fatisfactory compenfation. Mahomet for bade the ufe of wine ; but his followers do not conceive themfelves to be pro- *hibited the ufe of other fermented liquors. In general, they are very fond of porter - O 2 and 19& A TOUR and beer of all kinds, drinking as much of it as they can get ; and fome of them, indeed, are not very fcrupulous. about wine. After the Turk was gone, not dream ing of the danger that was hanging over us, we flept very comfortably for fome hours ; but, before day-light, we were roufed by flakes of fire falling upon our bodies from the roof. No water being at hand, the whole hut was foon in a blaze, and, in a few minutes, burnt to the ground. This unluckly accident was occafioned by our owa fire* which heated the mud flue that ferved as a chimney, to fuch a degree, that it communkated to the thatched roof, which was half burnt through before we awoke. Very for tunately, none of us had taken off our clothes ; for we carried no bedding, and nothing of the kind was to be got. 1 The TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 197 • The Turks in the Caravanfera re* mained quiet fpectators of this cata- ftrophe. At the moment when we found that all our efforts to extinguifh the flames were ineffectual, my eye turn ing towards the Muffulmen, found them fmoking, and feemingly quite uncon cerned. Determined not to be outdone by them in coblnefs, I feated myfelf in the middle of them, and, being provided with the materials, inftantly began fhaving myfelf, to their no fmall afto- nifhment, and the equal delight of the hoys, of our party, who have turned this anecdote into a pleafant ftory, which is my only reafon for mention ing it, You of courfe recoiled that the Tem ple of Diana at Ephefus, which was one of the wonders of the world, was de- O 3 ftroyed 198 A TOUR ftroyed on the very day that Alexander was born, by a facrilegious wretch, to render himfelf re membered by pofterity. We found many ruins, and among the reft, a fu- perb pile quite overturned, which we concluded was the remains of this cele brated temple. The columns were all broken. The moft entire piece was forty-two feet in length, and eighteen in circumference. This and the reft of the columns, were every one hewri out of fingle blocks of marble ; but not withftanding the immenfe fize and value of thefe materials, feveral antiquarians will not allow them to have belonged to the real Temple of Diana, It is not my purpofe to difpute with thefe learned gentlemen, I fhall only obferve, that none of them have made the columns of this Temple more than fixty feet high. According TO CONSTANTINOPLE. Tgg According to Palladid's meafurement of the pillars to the portico of the cele brated Rotunda at Rome, which has univerfally been accepted: as a proper ftandard, the height of the Corinthian column is twenty modules. A circumference of eighteen feet gives a module of three feetT and in common arithmetic, twenty of thefe give fixty; On thefe proportions then, the fragment I mention formed a column of the -"exact height handed down to us of thofe of the Temple of Diana. But people who wifh to diminifh the confequence of the pile I am mention ing, may fay that Palladio's proportions are liable to exceptions, which I will readily admit, thatul may afk, Whether its is poffible, by any proportions, to make a column lefs than fixty feet high of a bafe and capital, in addition to a O 4 fhaft, torn A TOUR fhaft, % fragment of which is forty-two feet in /length?^ i..* If either! of the pofitions I take up be admitted, thofe antiquarians who will not allow this oiagnificent pile of ruins to have belonged to the Temple of Diana, rouft at leaft confefs, that thefe foperb fragnamts . muft have formed an edifice equal to it, both in fize and grandeur, We alfo faw the remains of St, John's Church, now converted into a Turkjfh Mofque. Part of the aqueduct, and many other veftiges of the once noble city of Ephefus, are ftill to be feen. But in fiesu. of the BleiTed Virgin, St. Paul, St John, Kings, Princes, and He* riies, who rendered it fo famous, both in facred and profane hiftory, its inha bitants are now reduced to a few mifer- abk peafants, W? TO CONSTANTINOPLE, 201 We met no manner of interruption on the road, notwithftanding this is a time when the Government, naturally weak, is obliged to fuffer a kind of li- centioufnefs, in order to keep the rabble in good humour, and to complete the new levies. Never was there a more popular war than, the prefent The Turks, from every part of this immenfe Empire, are preparing to join the grand army. The fufpicions againft the Emperor of Gei> many increafe every day; but. from the zeal and fpirit with which every MiiffuL. man enters into the caufe, one is almoft led to imagine, that the Ottomans will make a tolerable ftand againft the power ful enemies by which they wilLbe at-* tacked. It is fortunate for the Porte, that at this crifis her Minifters are avowedly the b.eft thax ever governed Turkey. The Grand 202 A TOUR Grand Vizir is young and vigorous, and a pupil of the celebrated Haffan, now Captain Bafhaw, or Lord High Admiral, who is juft returned from Egypt crown ed with vidory. He had been fent there with the fleet, and an army alfo under his command, to fubdue the rebel Beys, in which, notwithftanding the intrigues of the Ruffians, he happily. fucceeded, and, by additional proofs of courage and addrefs, has added frefh" laurels to his former fame. The Vice-Admiral, who commanded at Conftantinople in his abfence, was fent to deftroy fix Ruffian men of war, which being difmafted in the ftorm that had obliged' Captain Teefdale to give himfelf up to the'Turks, had) anchored on the coaft of the Black Sea, and feem ed to promife an eafy conqueft. But, to the great difappointment of the Porte, they had time to refit and get off ; and as' their efcaping was faid to be owing . . : to TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 203 to want of exertion in the Turkjfh Vice- Admiral, he was banifhed immediately after his return to Conftantinople, and afterwards brought back and beheaded. The Captain Bafhaw is equipping the fleet with all poffible difpatch, and will fail early in the fpring, with a force that will compel the Ruffian fquadron on the Black Sea to ad on the defenfive, unlefs their fleet from the Baltic is per mitted to enter the Mediterranean,, and make a diverfion to the fouthward. But as this would be entirely depriving the Porte of every profped, of oppofing, with any fuccefs, the machinations of her enemies, England certainly can never permit fo decifive a ftep to be takerji in favor of the ambitious, and to us, deftrudive views of the two Imperial Courts. The Reis Effendi, or Principal Secrer taryof State, is faid to poffefs fufficient abilities 264 A TOUR abilities to fill that office in any country in Europe. The following 'anecdote of him, ' will give you an idea of his opi nion of France and England. The fpirited condud of our Court during fhe late difturbances in Holland, refleds the greateft honor on the King and his Minifters ; and it is faid, that Sir Robert Ainflie, our Ambaffador at the Porte, with his ufual patriotic attention to the honor and intereft of his country, drew up a fhort narrative of that important bufinefs, and delivered it to the Porte. At an audience afterwards given to Sir Robert, the Turkifh Miniftry con gratulated his Excellency on the diftin- guifhed ' fuccefs of his Court, and the Reis Effendi, I am told, made thefe ob- fervatiofts," " You have aded with all " your ufual courage — but with more " than your ufual wifdom. You have " carried your point without bloodfhed, " and TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 2O5 " and have left the French to fight among " themfelves." The laft fentence occafioned fome fur- prife; but by what I learn from the French officers who are juft arrived, a violent convulfion in France is not far diftant, and the Reis Effendi bids fair to prove by it, his profound knowledge of; the interior ftate of that kingdom, a knowledge which Turkifh Minifters are not generally expeded to poffefs, at kaft of, nations that are not their immediate neighbours. An army of obfervation is forming on , the Banks of the Danube, to watch the motions of the Germans,, whofe hoftile declaration is hourly expeded. The Baron de Herbert has given himfelf great airs in the Divan, and threatened vengeance on the Porte, for daring to attack the ally* of the Emperor, his matter. The Turks treated thefe threats with 206 A T O U R ~* with the contempt fuch impertinence deferved; but at the fame time, with great gravity and wifdom, they informed the Baron, that they were aware of the power of the Emperor, and would be forry to fee it exerted againft them ; but ftill that, trailing to the equity of Eu rope, they were determined to rifk this unequal conflid, rather than fubmit to thofe inceffant encroachments, which, by daily weakening the Porte, and in creafing the power of the two Imperial Courts, muft end, if unoppofed, in the total fubverfion of the Ottoman Em pire. The Emperor feems convinced that threats will not avail, and even at this late feafon, daily accounts arrive of the march of his troops towards the fron tiers. Conftant fkirmifhes are happening be tween the Turks and the Ruffians on the borders TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 2O7 borders of the Crimea ; and fince my laft letter, the Porte have received in formation of the capture of twelve hun dred Ruffians, and of the Ifland of Taman being taken by the Tartars of Kuban. The poffeffion of this ifland is of great confequence to the Turks, fince it forms the eaft fide of the ftraits of Wofphor Zabach, which conned the Black Sea with the fea of Azof. To balance this fuccefs, the French, and other enemies of the Porte, give out that a General Sekell, with a corps of Ruffians, has routed a detachment of thefe fame Tartars, in the vicinity of Mount Caucafus. The feafon, however, is too far advanced for any thing decifive to be done. In April the Grand Vizir will take the field in earneft; but in the mean while the Mofcovite troops are gathering towards Turkey, on the banks of the Dneiper, ap.8 A TOUR Dnieper, the Bog, and the Dniefter; and if the Emperor engages .the atten tion of the Ottoman grand army, the Ruffian Generals will begin the enfuing campaign with the fiege of Oczakow, and the invafion of Moldavia. Prince Potemkin will dired the former, Count Romanzow the latter ; and unlefs fome other power interferes, it is not difficult to forefee, that the Imperial Courts will foon accomplish all their ambitious fchemes againft this brave, but unen lightened people. LETTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE. iog LETTER XVIIL TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Athens, Jar. agth, l?§8. My dear friend, \K7 E took leave of our Smyrna friends on the 19th of January, and having paffed Scio, Lefbos, and Ipfera, Were off Scyros on the 21ft. We wifhed to vifit this ifland, becaufe it contains the tomb of Thefeus, who killed the monfter of Crete, and carried off the beauteous Ariadne; but the wind not permitting us to fetch it, we conti nued our courfe by Negropont, Longa, and the Promontory of Sunium. But the next morning the wind blew fo ftrong againft us, that finding it in vain to op- pofe it, we croffed the Sinus Sironicus, P and 21© A TO0 R and anchored among the little iflands of Idra. The weather continued bad for three days; it drove all the wild fowl to the fhore,- and afforded us excel lent fhooting, which compenfated our delay. On the 25th we again got under way, and the day after entered the Pyraeus, the port of this celebrated city. What emotion muft one feel on enteririg the ruins of a capital, which, from A. A. C , ' a fmall village, firft formed into a regular government by Cecrcps, became fo flourifhing, and fo populous a ftatej that its citizens alone, in the famous batde of Marathon, deli vered all Greece from the yoke of the Perfians. . Xerxes was fo little difcouraged by the misfortunes of his father, that the mo ment he afcended his throne, he deter mined to make a fecond attempt. His army TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 211 army is faid to have exceeded a million of men ; and the number of his fleet was in proportion to the multitude of his troops. On his entering Upper Greece, moft of the ftates, intimidated by the immenfity of his armament, fub- mitted to the enemy. The Peloponnefians having the ad vantage of inhabiting a country al moft an ifland, and only aflaiiable at the narrow Ifthmus of Corinth, de termined to defend themfelves. The- jniftoeks infufed the fame fpirit into ihe> Athenians, and promoted the recall „c£ his rivals Ariftides. Their allies -thinking it in vain to oppofe the Perfians beyond the Peloponnefus, wifhed all their forces to retire within the Ifthmus. But the Athenians, encouraged by their former vidory, bravely refolved once more to become the champions of Greece, and oppofe the enemy before he entered , Attica* '< P 2 Having 212 A TOUR Having brought the allies into this fefolution, a detachment under Leoni- das, King of Sparta, took poffefllon of the pafs of Thermopylae, and for fome time fupported themfelves againft all the efforts of Xerxes, and his innumerable hoft. But ^ fecret path being treacher- oufly difcovered to the enemy, Leonidas was furprifed in the morning by feeing the Perfians in poffeffion of the heights above him. Xerxes had now gained a decifive advantage ; but the laws of Sparta not permitting its citizens to retreat, Leo nidas fent back all his detachment, ex cept three hundred, who were natives of that city. With thefe he devoted him felf to the fervice of his country, and falling upon the invaders, made a prodigious flaughter among them ; but frefh num bers continually fupplying the place of the flain, this great and gallant Prince 3 was TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 2ij was" at laft overpowered, and died with his 'heroic affociates, in the midft of thoufands of their enemies. In this jundure, the Athenians con- fulted the Oracle, and were defired to truft to their wooden walls. Themi ftocks perfuaded all thofe who were ca pable of bearing arms to embark in the fleet ; the women and children were removed;. and the town, abandoned to the enemy, fell a prey to the . barba rians. -- ; ' " .:¦ : " -:d The fleet was afleriibled in the ftraits, within the Ifland. of Salamis. Xerxes, who aheady talked of nothing but of extirpating the Greeks, by feizkig their fhipsj flattered* himfelf that he had now an opportunity of deftroying them all at one blow. He therefore rafhly at tacked them in this narrow pafs ; but he foon found the fuperiority of the Grecian Admirals, who, by the excel- P 3 knee 2 14 ,A T O U R knee of their difpofition, brought a much greater nutmber of fhips into adion than the Perfians could oppofe at one time. Their van was of courfe defeated, which threw a general panick into the barbarians, and ended in a complete vidory on the fide of the Greeks. The Perfian King, who beheld the battle of Salamis from a neighbouring height, finding himfelf unable to fup- port his: immenfe army, after the lofs of his fleet, retreated with the utmoft precipitation. But before he quitted Greece, he gave Mardonius the com mand of a large detachment, to fecure part of his conquefts; but thefe being fome months afterwards entirely de feated by Paufanias and Ariftides at Platsea, and moft of the troops the King carried with him having perifhed in the retreat, the Grecians 'purfued ; him into Afia. .*".".' . , .'.,',4,1 }*, . Athens TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 21 5 Athens how rofe, by rapid "ftrides, to itsv'higheft 'luftrfe. Themiftocks aug mented the navy, rebuilt the city, for tified the Pyrseus, and joined it to the town, which is four miles diftant, by a (ftrong fortified wall. His grand ob- yeQt was to throw the whole power of Greece into the hands of the Athenians ; but the fteps by which he propofed to attain this end, were fo much difapproved, that he was banifhed. Accufed after wards of being concerned in the con- -fpkacy of Paufanias, the Lacedemonian Admiral, for delivering Greece into the hands of the Perfians, he was obliged to fly his country; and being purfued .from place to place, although innocent «£ the charge preferred againft him> he was at laft compelled to take refuge at the Court of Perfia. . There he was moft hofpitably enter tained for feveral years ; but in the fuc ceeding wars, the King requiring- him asti, P4 to 2l6 A TOUR - «,v to lead an , army . againft the Grecians, he fuffered the greateft diftrefs in the conteft between gratitude and patrio- tifm ; and neither of thefe virtues being able to overcome the other, he ended the conflid by putting a. period to his exiftencef On his being banifhed, . Ari- , rr, ' -Hides fucceeded him in the A. A. C. charge of the revenues, and Cimon in the command of the forces.'. The glorious exploits of this young hero almoft eclipfed even thofe of MUtiades, his father. He gained feveral great vidories over the Perfians, by fea and land, and beautified the city with the fpoils of the enemy. ¦ iil - ris'£r; Ariftides dying, Pericles fucceeded him, and became the rival of Cimon, who was banifhed on a fufpi- cion of favoring the Lacede monians, but recalled five years afterwards. He fettled, for a timei the differences between the rival cities, and TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 217 and led them once more againft the common enemy. And having ended a war of fifty-one years, by an honorable peace with the Perfians, he died on the eve of returning to Athens. He was fucceeded by Thucydides, his brother-4 in-law, but who was foon banifhed by Pericles, who now exercifed alone the foyereign authority. This illuftrious patriot was equally at tentive to the profperity, and to the beauty of the city. With one hand he enriched her with the wealth of every natiffiv with the other he adorned her with the works of the moft celebrated mafters. Phidias, the famous fculptor, flourifhed in his adminiftration, and it is to, him we are indebted for the mag* nificent Temple of Minerva. But neither his refined genius, nor his political abilities, could exempt his country from the envy which profperity generally 2 1 8 A T O U R generally attrads. The fpknddur fhe had attained, and ' the haughtiftefs" < it occafioned, drew c upon her the ' com plaints of many of the Poweis of Greece, and particularly of all thofe within the Peloponnefus. Animated by Pericles, Athens, although averfe to hoftik mea- fures, herfelf -' for twenty-feven years, ' againft? the united efforts of ail her enemies, in the famous PelopOnnefian war. ;.;. ' Pericles died at the clofe of the fourth campaign ; but the war was continued until the end of the tenth, when a truce was concluded, on terms very advan tageous to Athens. But the ambition of Alcibiades, who now began to be diftinguifhed at Athens, foon brought on a renewal TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 219 a7 renewal of hoftilities. He oppofed Nicias on every occafion, and, contrary to the advice of that excellent General, perfuaded the Athenians to fend a con fiderable part of their forces info Sicily, himfelf embairking on that expedition : but, being foon recalled, he fled to Sparta, where he joined the enemy, and became the fcourge of Attica. In the mean while, Syracufe was reduced to great ftraights ; but, a reinforcement A. A. C . . ':' arriving from- Peloponnefus, the Athenians were entirely de feated, and Nicias, their General, moft inhumanly put to death. This blow difpirited the Athenians fo much, that Alcibiades, compaffionating their diftrefs, returned to his duty. At firft he was furprifingly fuccefsfnl; but the fleet fuffering a defeat whilft he was abfent on an expedition, he was deprived of the epmmand, for having left it in unworthy hands. . ,;, The 220 A TOUR The Athenians had foon reafon to re pent this ad ; for, notwithftanding their fleet gained a confiderable advantage under Conon, it was afterwards attacked by furprife in the Hellefpont, and en- . tirely deftroyed. Lyfander, who ' ' gained this celebrated vidory, after fubduing all the maritime places in his route,* arrived at Athens, and obliged her to furrender. . , , The city now fuffered all the horrors of the moft cruel tyranny and oppreffion: but the Lacedemonians, exulting in their prof perity, as the Athenians had done before, raifed up a confederacy againft them, by which, after ten years flavery, Athens thoroughly recovered her liberty, and re gained her former confequence ; and; although Thebes, under Epaminondas, feemed for a time to rival her, fhe main tained her fuperiority over the reft of Greece, until Philip of Mace- A. A. C. ' " ' don, having defeated the Gre cians TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 221 cians in the battle of Chseronea, obliged them to nominate him Commander in Chief of their forces. Demofthenes had long obferved the fteps by which this Monarch aimed at the fubjedion of Greece, and endea voured, in his celebrated orations, to roufe the fpirit of his countrymen ; but he did not fucceed until it was too late. Philip left his authority to his fon Alexander, the Conqueror, during whofe abfence in Perfia, the Athenians at-> tempted to regain their liberties, but were foon fuppreffed by his General An- tipater. On the death of Alexander, Athens again revolted, and at firft ob tained fome confiderable advantages ; but Antipater, being reinforced, put an end to her triumphs, and A. A. C. ' ^ caufed her principal citi zens to be put to death. De mofthenes 222 A TOUR mofthenes fled; but, being deteded in his retreat, he poifoned himfelf. From this time, Athens was almoft conftantly kept in fubjedion by one or other of the fucceffors of Alexander, until about two hundred years before Chrift, when, being attacked by Philip III. of Macedon, the Athenians complained to the Romans, who had lately concluded a peace with the King, but now again de clared war againft him ; and being joined by feveral of the Greek States, Philip was foon overcome. The only \ A C ¦* " ', ufe the Romans made of their 196. conqueft, was to fhew their magnanimity, by reftoring liberty to all the cities of Greece. In the war between Rome and An- tioehus, Greece was at firft a principal fcene of adion. In this, the Romans were again fuccefsful, and confirmed their former generofity : but, at laft, 2 finding TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 223 finding the different States, conftantly at variance, and one or other of them ever imploring the affiftance: of A. A. C. „ , , _ . g Rome, they put an end to their difputes, by forming them into a Roman province. They had previoufly defeated and taken Perfeus, the laft King of Macedonia ; after which, it only remained to difpel the Achazan League, which had been fo famous under Phi- lopcemen. In the war between Mithridates and the Romans, the former got poffeflion of Athens ; but, after a noble defence, it was retaken the year fol- A A C. . . ' ' lowing by Sylla, who carried its library to Rome, with many of its moft valuable pieces of fculpture and painting. Attica continued to fhare the fate of the Romans, until their great Empire was divided into the Eaftern and Weftern branches. Greece then 224 A TOUR then appertained to the former, and fell with it irito the hands of the Turks* on the taking of Conftantinopk by Mahomet II. — A. D. 1453. LETTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 225 LETTER XIX. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. .Athens, February, 3d, 1789. • MY DEAR FRIEND, ATHENS ftill contains near ten thoufand inhabitants, and has lately been en'clofed by a wall, to defend it from the irruptions of the Albanians, who are ever ripe for a revolt, and have feveral times plundered the town. The neighbourhood abounds with olive trees, and the French have eftablifhed a frhall fadory for the culture of them. "The ancient citadel is always kept in a ftate of defence ; and, being fituated on the flat furfaCe of an unaffailabk rock, if is only to be fubdued by famine, or a bom bardment. But what moft renders it an Q^ objed 225 A T OUR objed of curiofity, is, its . cpntainingthe fuperb Temple of Minerva, fhe molt celebrated work of the illuftrious Pericles. But, alas ! of this magnificent pile, only enough is left to give us a faint idea of its former grandeur, and to make us lament the unhappy fate of fo fublime an edifice. The columns which fup- ported the fouth fide, and part of the front, are ftill ftanding, with fome ele gant metopes, which reprefent the ex ploits of the different heroes of Athens, §nd the battle of the Amazpns :, but thefe are every year falling down,, from ^ violent fhp.ck the remains of the. f emple received^ about a century ago, from the Venetians, who, in bombarding the.cita- del, blew up a powder magazine with in. it» From thefe ruins of faflen greatnefs, it is a pkafant relief to turn our eyes. to. the Temple of Thefeus, which, being converted intq a Greek church, is ftill perfed. TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 227 perfed. Here the fympathetic; foul en joys the generous glow of admiration, in contemplating a monument of gratitude to a departed hero, and the fatisfadion of feeing, that the ravages of more than two thoufand years have not been able to affed the work of a grateful people in honor of a patriotic Prince : fo may we hope, that, to the laft day, it will remain a living proof of the generofity of the one, and of the merit of the other. Thefeus was the great grandfon of Cecrops, and, like him, correded the wandering manner in which his peo ple lived, and formed them into civil focieties ; whence he is juftly called the fecond founder of Athens. In the preceding narration, I took no notice of the exploits of this Prince, be caufe they are ftories we have been accuftomed to hear from our cradles, and, although founded on truth, are Q^_2 generally 2? 8 r A, T o U R generally claffed among thofe of the fa bulous kind. For the fame reafon, I paffed over the death of his fucceffo?, Mneftheus, at the fiege of Troy, as well the expedition for the Golden Fleece, and the other events in which Athens was concerned previous to the inyafion .of the Perfians. The temple is an elegant edifice, fup7 ported by a beautiful colonnade, on £ fimilar plan to the largeft at Peftum. It was ereded in the administration of Cimon, who, having difcovered the bones of Thefeus in the ifland of Shyros, where he was killed by a fall from a pre cipice, reftored them tq his native city. The metopes on the front, and part of the fides, are ornamented with baffo re lievo, reprefenting the battle of the Centaurs. Thefe, you may recoiled, were nothing more than the cavalry of TheiTaly, where the men were fo perfed in the management of their horfes, that, 4 whej> TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 229 when mounted, they were fuppofed to be part of the fame animal. The eaft gateway ^ which was alfo ereded to Thefeus, remains tolerably perfed.' It was repaired by Adrian, who added an infcriptioh, importing that Athens was now become his city ; and, indeed, by his liberality, he in fome meafure made amends for the depreda tions the Romans committed upon her ornaments,' and earned the title of one of her founders. It was this Emperor who raifed that fuperb pile the Pantheon, dedicated to all the Gods ; which, by its grandeur, elegance and beauty, juftly merited" that exalted title. Out of an hundred and twenty columns, each eighteen feet in circumference, only nine are ftanding. They are of the fineft marble, with very rich Corinthian ca pitals. Thofe of Thefeus and Minerva are Doric. Q^3 The 230 A., TOUR The monument vulgarly called the Lanthofn of Demofthenesj being in habited by a French Monk, and the odagpnal Temple of the Winds, by a Turkifh Dervife, are ftill entire. , The former is light and elegant ; the latter has nothing but its antiquity to recom mend it ; for the figures which reprefent the different winds, are fo indifferently executed, that, were not their names in- fcribed below them, it would be im poffible to know their qualities. Some triumphal columns, and other monuments, are ftill left in tolerable prefervation, befides a confiderable part of the Theatre of Bacchus, and many other fragments and ruins, which I am lefs particular in defcribing, becaufe we have taken exad plans of all of them. The channel of the Ilyffus, whofe banks were formerly fo famous, is dry, even at this rainy feafon ; and I have feveral TO CONlTANTiNOPLE. 23 1 : feyeral times walked in its bed, as well as in the olive groves where Plato de livered his kdures. I have alfo been as fir as the plains of Marathon, to payT my oblations at the fhrine of Miltiades — an interefting fcene to a Soldier, and of which my military friends may exped an exad defcription. Q^4 THE 232 A TOUR THE RATTLE OF MARATHON, MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE GENERALELIOTT, LORD HEATHFIELD. This celebrated field is about twelve miles in circumference, and a day's march from Athens. It is wafhed by the fea on the eaft, and furrounded by mountains on every other fide, except the fouth-eaft corner, where the flat is continued a fhort (pace along the fhore, and afterwards terminated by hills. The part where this flip joins the grand plain, has a large morafs in its center, which extends pretty clofe to the hills on one fide, and near the water's edge on the other. There A TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 233 There are two roads from the plains to Athens ; the one by the morafs, the other through the town of Marathon, which lies at the foot of the hills, nearly oppofite the center of the plains. Miltiades' army, in point of numbers, was not equal to one tenth of the Per fians ; but he knew that by waiting for them under the walls of Athens, he fhould abandon the country to their ra vages, and fubmit to fee them receive their convoys, and gather provifions un- mokfted ; and poffibly even fiibjed him felf to a famine. He therefore deter mined, at all events, to keep from be tween the enemy and the capital, and wait for an opportunity of attacking them to advantage. And this Fortune foon gave him. The Perfians haying reached the plains of Marathon, accom panied by their fleet, purfued the road neareft the fea. Their van had already afcended the heights, their main body filled 234 A TOUR filled the flat- beneath, and their rear was paffing the narrow fpace on the fides of the morafs. Hiftorians tell us, that Miltiades drew his whole ftrength into his wings, and particularly his right, leaving his center almoft open. But as they have not been fufiiciently minute in defcribing the fcene of this memorable adion, I could not thoroughly perceive the excellence of his difpofition, until I beheld the field of battle. The morafs fupplied fhe place of troops in his center. The fpace on the kft was but narrow, confequently his greateft exertions were required on his right. This the General thoroughly un- derftood, and at the moment the Per fians were in the fituation I have juft defcribed, he rufhed from the town of Marathon, and by his admirable difpo fition, brought his whole force to ad on the enemy's rear. * The TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 235 The Perfians, encumbered and con fined, and fcarce able to ufe their arms, were inftantly thrown into confufion, and hewn down in immenfe numbers. The main body faced about, and ad vanced to the affiftance of the rear. The van, confident of vidory from their numbers, defcended from the heights to purfue their fuccefs. The whole crowd ed together in the narrow paffes, making a general, confufed attempt to break into the plain : but the Athenians conftantly out-fronting them, and the immenfe numbers of the enemy only ferving to incommode themfelves, and to create confufion, they were flain as fail as they advanced. At length thofe in front, unable to withftand the terrible carnage that raged around them, attempted to fly ; but being prevented from retreating by thofe behind them, who not having feen the flaughter, ftill pufhed forward, they precipitately threw themfelves into the morafs. Vidory 2Zf> A TOUR Vidory now declared for the Athe nians, who, purfuing their advantage, fell with fuch violence on the difordered ranks of the enemy, that to efcape their fury, their neareft opponents were com pelled to turn, and in defoair, forced their way through their own friends. A general rout immediately erifued, and the exertions of the Athenians encreaf- ing with their fuccefs, they drove the enemy headlong before them. Near thirty thoufand Perfians fell . by the fword. Numbers perifhed in the mo rafs, and the reft, in confufion and dif- rhay, efcaped to their fhips. Thefe, my Lord, are my ideas of the principles on which Miltiades aded, and what I have conceived to have been the plan of the battle, from feeing the plains on which it was fought. I aril, however, aware that one of the caufes to which I attribute the fuccefs of the Greeks— their out-fronting the enemy — was TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 237 was a lefs advantage in thofe days, than it has become fince the invention of mufketry and artillery. But although the Grecians made their grand exertions by clofe adion, yet it is to be prefumed, from the hilly, irregular country in which this army was generally to ad, that it Was not without a confiderable corps of flingers and bowmen, who, in the dif- pofitioa I have given, might ad to the greateft advantage upon the enemy's flank. It is needkfs to fay that the Perfians, by forming en potence along the fides pf the morafs, might have brought as many men into adion as the Greeks ; they were too much confufed by the fudden attack, bordering on a furprife, to execute this manoeuvre, and moft likely their troops with miflive wea pons were not in this part of their army. ' The 238 A TOUR The moft plaufibk objediori to my plan is, that had the Perfians, inftead of engaging and crowding themfelves in the fituation Miltiades attacked them, made' a retreating fight, till they paffed the narrow flat, and fecured the heights, it was then in their power, had Mil tiades perfifted in the attack, completely to furround him, by making part of the troop on the heights, in front, deploy .along the eminence, and then defcend in his rear, whilft the reft of the army, now advantageouflypofted on the heights, would probably have prevented his forc ing their front. This is, doubtkfs, what a good Ge neral wOuld have done. But when the Generals are equal, how can men be expeded to beat ten times their number? Miltiades was in one of thofe fituations, where inadion is as fatal as a defeat ; and it was his duty to feize every op portunity, in which it was in Fortune's power TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 239 power to favor iis defigns. . He #ded on thefe principles, and was crowned with the fuccefs his courage deferved, At firft the Athenians thought no praifes they could beftow, equal to the merit of Miltiades ; but in my letter from Paros, I mentioned the cruel per fection he afterwards fuffered. But the death of this great man having dif- armed the malice of his enemies, they foon became fenfible of their fhameful ingratitude ; and as fome atonement to the manes of their departed hero, they ereded a monument to his memory on the plains where he gained his glory. Of this facred tomb, only the bafe remains. I picked up a chip of marble that had fallen from it, and was in* ftantly impreffed with the idea of having this honored relick fet, with a fuitabk device, in fome of the metal from the Battering Ships, deftroyed before Gib raltar, 24O ' A" TOUR raltar, and thus to commemorate ,anc unite the greateft vidory of Greece, with the moft glorious achievement of Britain. LETTE tO CONSTANTINOPLE. 24I i. £ f f E fi. ±& Td CAPTAIN smith, Athehf, February ;th, 1789. MY DEAR FRIEND, f\N Qtit way to MaratHori, we turned a little out of the road to fee a mutilated ftattie of a Iaon, which ftilj bears the figna of moft excellent works- man/hip; We have already repeatedly viewed fevery thiiig worthy notice in Athens j but as the painter has not yet finifhed his drawings, we fhall remain here fome days longer, during which we mean to make an excurfion fo the Iflands of Sa lamis, iEgina, &cv But as they contain nothing worthy defcriptiony I will clofe R this 242 A T O U R this fketch of the hiftory arid antiquities of this interefting city, with a fhort, account of .the religion of its prefent. inhabitants. About one-fifth of them are Turks, and the reft Greeks. GREEK RELIGION. St. Paul, you recoiled, vifited Athens, and the other ftates of Greece, to preach Chriftianity ; and notwithftanding all the anathemas the Pope, has denounced a- gainft the Greeks, there is, ifl fad, but little difference between their .religion, and that of the Roman Catholics. They equally make ufe of the fign of the crofs; worfhip images; pray to the feints; have confeffors ; and believe in tranfub- ftantiation, although they do not kneel at the elevation of the Hoft. If they deny the dodrine of purgatory, they admit fomething very like it, in praying for the fouls of the dead. Their Bifhopa and fuperior clergy are never permitted, to TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 243' to marry ; but a fimple prieft is allowed that indulgence once "in his life, though he can never take a fecond wife. They acknowkge the Pope to be the chief of the Patriarchs, but deny his having" the power of granting indulgences ; and this was his Holinefs's firft reafon for ac- cufing-them of fchifm. It is true, there is another grand point" in which they diffent both from the Roman Catholics arid the Proteftants ; I mean the article of the Holy Ghoft,* which they fay can proceed from the Father only. There are fome lefs efferi- tial differences, fuch as their ufing lea vened bread in the confecration of the* Sacrament, and mixing the bread and wine together. And they alfo differ in the ceremonies of baptifm, marriage, and bu rial. In the firft they give three complete immerfions. The fecond is performed by the prieft's changing the ring from the bride's to the bridegroom's finger, R 2 faying 244 A tour fiiyingafew words, and then fromrtItf& bridegroom's to the bride's. He repeats; this ceremony about thirty times, with out any alteration, and when he defifts, it is again as often performed by each of the godfathers and godmothers. Their funerals are like thofe. of the favages^— howling and making hideous cries. tilS the corpfe is interred, and then feafting over the grave- The Patriarch of Conftantinopk is the head of the Greek Church, and has under him the Patriarchs of Jerufakm, Damafcus, and Alexandria., . St. Poly- carp is their favorite Saint. He was one of Sjt. John's difciples, and fuffered martyrdom at Smyrna, of which he was the firft Archbifhop. MAHOMETAN RELIGION. From the religion of the- Greeks, I naturally turn, to that of the Turks. To TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 245 Si&ve a juft idea of this, it is neceffary that We fhould diveft ourfelves of -every prejudice ; and in arraigning the chav rader of a man whom death has pre vented from appearing in his own de fence, Juftioe ever requires, that if we do riot put the moft favorable com- ftrudion on his adiobs, we fhould, at kaft, treat them with impartiality. To fpeak candidly then, Mahomet might be a religious and a moral mail. His father left him in rather penurious ftircumftances, but profiting to the ut- moft by the education his Friends coulfi afford him^ and always preferving a moft unexceptionable charade*, he rofe to be fador of a rich widow, whom he afterwards married; and becoming, by this connedion, a perfon of fome con fequence in his country, he felt it his duty to devote himfelf to its welfare, R 3 Fie 24^ A TOUR He faw, with the utmoft concern, that -the Jews and the Chriftians were con ftantly at variance, and that Idolatry was daily, gaining ground. To check the prOgrefs of a pradice fo unworthy the human mind, and fo degrading to our Pivine Maker, appeared to him an ob- jed worthy his whole attention. Filled with this idea, it became the conftaat fubjed of his thoughts, and after long revolving it in his mind, he, at length, conceived it impoffible to attain his end by any other method, but by that of uniting the Jews and the Chriftians in one religion. And this he knew could only be effeded by admitting part of the tenets of both, For this purpofe, he acknowleged Adam,, Noah, Abraham, and Mofes, \vhom the Jews regarded as their chief Prophets, to whom he added our Bleffed gaviour; in commemoration of whofe 3 » mildnefs TO CONSTANTINOPLE. " *$J mildhefsand beneficence, he called him the Breath of God — the moft flattering appellation he could offer, confiftent with the delicacy it was neceffary to • obferve towards the Jews. Neverthelefs, a Chris tian cannot fufiiciently lament, that he was obliged- to make conceffibns ' to a people execrated by God. But as his only objed was to reft ore the divine ,worfhip to its original purity, he con ceived that the Almighty would not be .difpkafed at the means he was about to adopt fo attain fo laudable an end. The firft perfbn to whom he com municated his defign, was her in whom, as a good man, he was moft interefted, I mean, his wife. She readily embraced .his fentiments, and, in a. fhort time, many of their relations adopted their opinions. Neverthelefs, the Arabs in general. continued obftinate in their fuper- ftition and idolatry ; and as Mahomet as yet only made ufe of the gentle methods R 4 of 240 A TOUR of perfuafion, his profelytes increafed fo fleMyy that he had jteafoa to defpair of jufeeefH unlefs hfc c&uld make ? it be believed thai hp received fupernatural affiftance: Thus far his condud is irreproachable, fince wp may forgive his endeavouring to compound the Jewifh and Chriftian religions, which in him, was at worft but an error in ju4gihent. But from this moment, be began to lpfe fight of the delicacy and patriotic difiritereftedr nefs by which he was hitherto aduated, and we muft refign him to the lafh of the Chriftian and Jewifh divines, both of whom have agreed in ftigmatfzing him by the epithet of '* ImpoftOr." Ne verthelefs a philanthropic mind will always be inclined tp pity him, and to. lament that a man natufally religious, with fo' noble an objed in yiew, (hould be drawn irito meafures unworthy the piety of his primitiye intentions, '>"¦¦¦ - He TO CONSrTANTINOPLE. jj^g ¦Si Hec^eteajdedj; orperhaps-hisenthu-r fkfn^iaade fiim believe, tha:t the Angel Gabriel, had appeare4 to<^m;J and, in nthe name pf GocL, charged him with -his miffion. But ftill his progrefSjWas not equal to his wifhes; he therefore made ufe of another impofture, and de clared that he had been carried up to Heaven, and converfed with God. This, and fome miracles he was faid to have performed, gave him an unbounded fway pver the minds of the people. But the perfecution of the Government increafing with, his fuccefs, he was feveral times obliged to fly from Mecca. Hitherto he .had preached nothing but peace; but his fame having noyv fpread, and gained him many profelytes in the neighbour ing ftatei* he found lumfelf in a condi tion to accomplish, by force, what he had in vain attempted by perfuafion. Pro- yoked at the oppofition he met with, he «;ave out that God, irritated at the ob- ftinacy of his enemies, had ordered him 25© A TOUR to take up arms againft them. He there fore raifed an army, with which he beat the Koreifh, or head tribe of Mecca, in the famous battle of Bedr, and gained many other vidories, ^ach of which in creafing his fame and his followers, he ufurped the civil and military authority, as well as the religious, and before he died, had the fatisfadion of feeing him felf acknowleged by many of the Eaftern nations. The Mahometans date their Hegira from the period of their Pro- A.D. 6z?. , „. phet s flight from Mecca to Medina, during which fuch miracles, they fay, were performed in his favor, that it was no longer poffible to "doubt his being the Meffenger of God. In addition to. his being an Impoftor, and making ufe of violent meafures, it is farther objeded againft Mahomet, • that he make6 hi6 paradife confift-in fenfual pkafures ; TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 251 pkafures; but in this he conformed to the difpofitions of the people he held it out to. He tells them that it is inha bited by female angels, whofe charms furpafs conception, and who, although adorned by the moft delicate modefty, will yield to the embraces of the Faithful. That they live in large pavilions of hol low pearls, in the midft of refrefhing foun tains and fhady groves, abounding with the moft delicious fruits. Befides which, the fleeteft horfes, elegantly caparifoned, and every thing elfe they may defire, will immediately fpring up for them. His faith confifts in belief in God, and predeftination ; in his Angels, his Scriptures, and his Prophets; in the Refurredion and final Judgment. On that awful day the principal queftions afked the Mahometans will be, How they fpent their time ? How they ac quired and ufed their wealth? What ufe •\V they 252 A TOUR they made of their kftowkdge ? and how they exercifed their bodies ? Infidels arid hypocrites will be damp ed without redemption; but the good arid bad adioris of the Mahometans will be balanced againft each Other, and the puriifhments of the guilty will be in pro^ portion to their fins; the flighteft of which will be nine hundred years con finement iri a hell, fo very hot as 10 make the brain boil through the fkuli.; and the heavieft nine thoufand in a plaoe where the heat is feven times more hor rible. Oppreffors, and fuch as have been guilty of malice or injuftice, will be obliged to fuffer in the next world for the fins of thofe whom they injured in this. An idea that cannot be too much admired, Another TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 253 Another ftrikinginftance of the hu-* manity of Mahomet's, difpofitiony is the great encomiums he conferred upon Charity. He tells his- followers that nothing will be more acceptable to God than alms ; and to fhew our gratitude to him for thofe we are conftantly receiving at his hands, he orders that they fhall pray at leaft five times a day ; and that there may be no excufe for negleding this duty, the muezzins are obliged to afcend the fteeples at ftated times, and there apprife the people that " it is time to " pray." In this we fee both gratitude and wif- dom ; and to do ample juftice to Maho met, it only remains to examine how far his religion tended to promote the happinefs and profperity of his brethren. To do this, we muft keep their country in view. It will then readily occur tq us, that the Arabians living in a ftate of warfare,. 2^4 A TOUR warfare, population muft neceffarily de^ creafe, and the number of women con-* fiderably exceed that of the mem What remedy could he apply to this evil, but- a plurality of wives? Or how put a flop to drunkennefs, but by prohibiting wine ? The climate of Arabia is hot ; heat produces wantonnefs, wantonnefs leads to proftitution, and proftitution creates fin, difeafe* and depopulation. Thefe are crying evils, and the only method to prevent them was, by for bidding every intercourfe between the two fexes, man and wife only excepted. For fhe muft be an abandoned woman indeed, who will make the firft ad vances to impure love, and thefe to a man to whom fhe had never before fpoken. But as a farther encouragement to po pulation, and that the female captives taken in war might be of fervice to the TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 25$; the- ftate, he tolerates mafters lying with their flayes, who, on their part, are to preferve all the modefty and difcretion of a wife, and in return^ are always to be treated with ten- dernefs, •* That Mahomet allowed thefe indul gences, more through policy than in clination, is evident, fince even his bit- tereft enemies have never accufed him of bigamy, or of impure love, before the death of his firft wife. If he afterwards became abandoned, it is no wonder, for he had then eaft off his pious principles; and every wife perfon knows, what ever pretenders to philofophy may fay, that a man, when he abandons re ligion, generally abandons morality alfo. Upon the whole, I believe, this is by much, the mpft favorable account ever written 2j6 A TOUR written of Mahomet hy a Chriftian jr^oe^ if we, analyze the writings: .of our.osid theolpgifts,, arid fet afide iheii*. abufive epithets, We fhall find Jhat I haye.,f)u^ nothing more than they themfelves have admitted; becaufe, not underftanding the Turfcifh language, I have trufted to them for matters of fad* although, in juftice to a dead man, I could not afcribe to ambition and felfifhnefs* what might originally proceed from virtue, however different a turn it might afterwards take. * To clofe this effay with the candour with which I have conduded it, we muft allow, that as a patriot and a politician, Mahomet merits a great fhare of our com mendation. But how unworthy a di-1 vine miffion will his latter condud ap pear, when compared with that of our Saviour. Neither perfecution nor tor ture, could provoke the Bleffed Jefus to 4 a de-* TO CONSTANTINOPLE. &J7 a deyiation from his Heavenly Mildnefs ; but conftantly adhering to the will of our Father, he lived, and he died for the good of mankind. S lETT^R 258 A TO U R LETTER XXL TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Leghern, March 10th, i;88» -' MY BEAR FRIEND, /~\N the 9th of February we failed from the Pyraeus, but the next morn ing a violent gale rifing up againft us, we were obliged to take fhelter in our old port at Idra. During the night the wind changed, and at day-break on the nth we again got under way, and failing along the coaft of Mycene and Argos, the kingdoms of Agamemnon and Me- nelaus, reached Cape Angelo at funfet ; and ftanding to the weftward, we paffed between Servi and the ifland of Venus ; and thus, for the prefent, took leave of the Arehipelago. We faw no remains of antiquity TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 259 antiquity on that part of Peloponnefus whkh wo" have coafted. At day-break on the 141^ we were in fight of Mount iEtna, but the wind not permitting us to fetch Meffina, we ftood towards Syracufe, arid in the evening tacked near the little ifland of Ortygia, which furnifhed the poets with the fable of Alpheus and Are-* thufa. The next day was almoft a Calm, but at funfet a light breeze fpringing up in our favor, we entered the ftraits of Scylla arid Gharybdis, and anchored at Meffina on the 16th. Here we in tended to have performed our quarantine, but as it has been the cuftom at this'place ever fince the dreadful plague in 1743, not to receive veffels from any port adually infeded; and a lying report being raifed, that the plague was then raging in the environs of Smyrna, the Health S 2 Office 26© A TOUR Office refufed to admit us, notwithftandr ing our bringing , a clean bill of health. We therefore put to fea the following evening* and had fcarce paffed Cha- rybdis, and got out of the ftraits, be-. fore we were attacked by a violent ftorm. We were now on a ke-fhore, and the darknefs of the night made our fituation ftill more unpleafant. But at the mo ment we were moft apprehenfive, the wind favored us feveral points. The next morning the gale abated, and in the evening the wind became quite fair ; there was, however, fo little of it, that we were all this and the next day in light of the burning ifland of Strom*. bolo. In the night of the 19th, the breeze frefhened, and carrying us 7, 8, 9, 10, and n knots an hour, we. faw Corfica foon after day-light on the 2 1 ft, and at five the fame afternoon an chored in Leghorn roads. Lord Her vey, who has fucceeded Sir Horace Mann, as Ambaflador at Florence, hap pening TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 26l pehihgj to be at Leghorn, Interefted himfelf in our favor; in confequence of which our quarantine was only fifteen days7, and we got prattick the day before yefterday. „ ; The town is well fortified both by fea "and land, and, on account of its advantageous fituation for trade, and its being a free port, it is filled with merchants of every clafs and perfua- fiOQ, Corfica being in fight of Leghorn, it forms one of the paffes that intercept the trade of the Mediterranean, and is confequently an excellent ftation for ?i fquadron in time of war. The road, indeed, is open, and in wiriter dan gerous; but this evil is, in fome mea fure, remedied by two capacious moles, deep enough for trading veffels and fmall frigates. And by means of a S 3 canal 262 A TOUR canal whicfy epnjmumicate5 with fchs Arno, it has water carriage even be yond Florence* I fliall fet out for that celebrated capital, £s foon as I am a little colleded after the voyage* ^JTTE^, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 265 LETTER XXIL, TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Florence, March 33d, 1788. MY DEAR FRIEND, '1X7' £ left Leghorn on the 18th, and,: two hours after, arrived at Pifa, We remained there the reft of the day, and had juft time to take a curfory view of the wonderful Leaning Tower, the celebrated Brazen Gates of the Cathedral, the Dome, the Colkge, and the Chapel of the Knights of St. Stephen, &c. &c. Early next morning, we refumed our journey, and, at four in the afternoon, arrived at this elegant city. From Leghorn to Florence is fixty-r three miks, or, in the Italian ftyk, eight S 4 pofts, 264 A TOUR Jtofts, for each of Which, with a pair of horfes, you pay four fhillings, and the driver is entitled to a fifth, which cuftom has iricreafed- to eighteen pence. The Italian miles being near a fourth fhorter than the Englifh, you generally go a poft in an hour and a few minutes ; but this depends very much upon what you give the poftilions, who always take care to enquire from thofe they relieve. The road is good and level,^and remarkably pkafant, the whole of it being in the populous and fertile vale of Arno, and almoft conftantly clofe to the river. In the barbarous -ages, after the fub- verfion of the Roman empire, Tufcany underwent many revolutions, and re mained in a ftate of fubjedion till the time of the Guelphs and Gibbelines, when the feuds of thofe fadions, and the contefts between the Pope and the Emperor, enabled the Tufcans to fhake pff the yoke. They were again fub dued TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 265 dnei by Charles V. whOj having married his natural daughter to Alexander of Medicis, he gave him the Dukedom of Tiifeany : but Alexander , being, a tyrant, was foon affaffinated, and Cofmo, fon of John of Medicis fet up in his place, and formally crowned Grand Duke of Tu£> cany by Pope Pius V,— A. D. 1570.^ It is to this immortal Prince that we are indebted for the revival. of the fine arts, and for the foundation of the Gal lery of Florence, which each of his de- fcendants increafed and improved. The dukedom remained in their line for the fpace of near two centuries, when the Medicis being extind by Duke Gaftpn dying without iffue, it revolved to the Emperor, and is now governed by his brother. The arts and fciences fuffered no lofs from this change. Peter Leopold is their moft diftinguifhed patron ; and the Gal lery 266 A TOUR kry is as much indebted to him as to the moft elegant of his predeceffors. Formerly, people of humble fortunes were fecluded from the view of thefe treafures, by the extortion of the at tendants ; but their falaries have been lately increafed, and they are prohibited from accepting prefents, on pain of Iofing their places. The pooreft peafant has now a right to amufe himfelf at his leifure in every part of the Gallery, and admittance is refufed to nobody but fervants. It affords matter of furprife to an Englifhman, that valets de chambres, and footmen, who have fo much in fluence every where elfe, are here ex-. ctuded from places that are open to the loweft of every other tribe. I have not trotibkd myfelf about the private charader of Peter Leopold ; but the face of his country, the induftry and morality of his fubjeds, and the pleafing figns TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 267 figns of an happy and increafing po pulation, prove him a great and a good Prince. The morals of his people are one of his principal objeds, in which he has fo happily fucceeded, that, in the general free mart of Leghorn, where formerly the trade of a harlot was as much permitted and in as high repute as any other, the houfes of ill fame are reduced to a very fmall number ; and, in a fhort time, proftitution will be as com pletely rooted out there as it already is put of every other part pf Tufcany. By a law, as uncommon as it is juft, a breach of modefty is as feverely punifhed in the male as in the female fex ; and a feducer, be his rank what it will, is obliged to marry the objed he has pol luted. None of either fex are permitted to fhut themfelves up in convents ; and marriage is highly encouraged. Such, indeed, is this Prince's fuccefs in pro moting morality, and preventing vice among 268 A TOUR among his people, that, different from moft capitals, the women are innocent and healthy, as well as beautiful ; and affaffmations and robberies are here nq longer heard of. What a fatisfadion will the philan-* thrope enjoy, when he finds that this public happinefs and virtue has been produced by the moft laudable means. Peter Leopold thinks the lives of his fubjeds too valuable to facrifice even one to the gallows or the fcaffold ; but if a citizen is guilty of any tranfgreffibn, he atones for his crime by labouring on the public works, for the general good, with a label on his back, ex- preffing his crime and his punifhment. This being the Holy Week, the Gak kry will not be open for fome days, which is no great difappointment, fince the fine tafte of the Medicis was not confined, to their palaces only. The town TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 269 town is ornamented with many cele brated pieces of fculpture ; the principal of which are, the group of Hercules refcuing Dejanira from the Centaur, by Michael Angelo ; and the Rape of the Sabines, by John Bologna; a fuperb fountain, with Neptune in the center, drawn by four horfes, furrounded by as many perfons, each attended by two fawns or fatyrs ; a noble equeftrian of Cofmo, and many other excellent ftatues and columns, and a triumphal arch* ereded in honour of the reigning family. I .fhould be guilty of great injuftice to : Peter Tacca, if I paffed over his famous boar in the market-place. He forms a kind of fountain on the ground, flab-,1 bering out water in fo natural a manner, , that, at firft, I adually took him for a hog, too lazy to remove from the wet. The infide of the churches are neat and elegant, white and gold, with fcarkt and orange curtains. St. Croix contains 3 the 2/0 A T O 17 ft the tombs of M. Angelo, of Machiavel, and many other great men. Among a variety of paintings, two in the dome of St. John are rather fingular, Lex Scripta and Lex Naturae. The former has a forbidding look, and is muffled up like a prieftefs. The other is in all the gaiety of youth, with an inviting perfon almoft entirely difplayed. The foft gliding Arno divides the town ; but the communication is pre* ferved by three ftone bridges. The ter races along its banks are broad and well paved ; and were it poffible fo tire where a variety of fuch objeds as thofe I have mentioned are ever to be found, one has only to retire to the Botanical Gardens, or to thofe of the Bobile. In the former we find every plant of the medical world. In the latter we may fancy our felves in England. They are laid out much in the manner of our pleafure grounds^ with open gravel walks, and 4 others TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 271 others fhaded by the twining branches of. the fhrubs on each fide; with an aviary, a green-houfe, feats, and fummer houfes. But partaking alfo of the Ita? lian, it is interfperfed with ftatues, terr races, and fountains full of gold and filver fifh. How can we fufiiciently exprefs our gratitude to thofe Princes who have furnifhed us with fo many objeds of innocent and laudable delight. The elegant tafte of the Tufcan So vereigns, has been adopted by moft of their Nobility, whofe palaces may be confidered as fo many branches of ths royal gallery. I have as yet only had time to vifit thofe of Gerrini and Ri- cardi. Biliberti's famous Clorinda would alone be fufficient to immortalize the former. She is afleep, relieved from the weight of 27* A TOUR of her arniour, with nothing to conceal any part of her exquifite beauty, but One of the ribbons of her corfekt, which the air has moft happily direded to fhelter her modefty; but which one is almoft afraid will wave from her waift. In this unguarded moment, Tancred at once difcovers her fex and her beauty ; but notwithftanding her defencelefs fi tuation, notwithftanding her irrefiftibk charms, and her being a chief of the enemy, there is fomething fo invincibly fweet, fo chafte, and fo inchanting in her countenance, that the hero ftands transfixed with love and veneration, and dares not approach her. It is impoffible not to enter into all the delicacy and fenfibility of his feelings, and after the firft glance, I confefs to you, that, like him, I dared not fuffer my eyes to wander below her neck, left hers fhould open and avenge my profana tion. An adverfe look from fuch an angel, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 27^ «ngel4 .W#uld be more infupportabk than the mofi; tormenting death. After fo heavenly an objed> one is particularly ftruck witjh Salvator RpfaJs Prpometheus, in the fameYcolkdion, Up is fftretched upon his back) with his hands and feet chained down, and the vulture preying on his liver. His ex cruciating torments are fo forcibly ex7 preffed, that they fill one with horror. I therefore turned away, and hurried by Dido and iEneas, by Battoni ; and the Martyrdom of St. Andrew, by Carlo Dolce, and feveral other admirable paint- jugs, to gaze once more on the divine Clorinda. The beft pieces in the Palace Ricardi, are, the four Evangelifts, by Carlo Dolce ; St. John is incomparable ; a Roman Charity, and fix figures, repre* fenting baffo relievo. T The £74 A TOUR The houfe in which Michael Angela lived, is ftill preferved, and(his hiftory and principal works reprefented in a coU kdion of paintings, with which the walls were hung by his fcholars. It alfo contains fome few pieces of his own, moft of them unfinifhed. LETTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 275 LETTER XXIII. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Florence, March 26th, 1789. MY DEAR FRIEND, 1X7 HEN I inform you, that the Cata logue alone of the Gallery of Florence, fills a large volume, what an unconfcionabk requeft will my dear friend appear to have made, in demand ing a regular defcription of this fuperb and invaluable colkdion. From fo young an Amateur as I am, fuch an attempt, methinks, would be the height of prefumption — I had almoft faid, of profanation. But, to convince you how much I would undertake to oblige you, fuffice it to fay, that the part T 2 properly 27$ A, TOUR properly called the Gallery, confifts of two fides of a parallelogram of con^ fiderable length, joined together by a third, much fhorter. Round the cornice, the portraits of every great charader, of whatever nation he belonged to, from Artaxerxes Mem-: npn, King of Perfia, to Dr. Anthony Cocchi, who died at Florence in 1758, are ranged according to their country, Among the Englifh, I obferved Wolfey, Cranmer, Cromwell, and Monk, The waU between the cornice and the moulding, is lined with about an hun dred and, thirty paintings, by the- moft celebrated mafters : all are admirable ; but that which particularly ftrikes me, is the Mary Magdalen from the Tufcan fchqpl. Her hands are joined together with an expreffion which evinces the anguifh of > her foul, and the fincerity of her repentance. A ffeull is on the fable '-before her, Remprfe, and Ekfpair, in their TO CONSTANTINOPLE! iff their moft aggravated forms, are preying Upon her; and yet her beauty is 1ft all its captivating charms: Her face fur- paffes every conception ; and the veft, which has fallen from her fhoulders, difplays a neck which even an Anchorite would for ever hang upon. She herfelf, with all the eaTneftftefs of her fupplt cation, feems fcarce to dare hope to be forgiven. — But, were there a doubt of it, fweet Periitent! I fhould die diftraded. John de St. John's Bridal Night, is another excelkrit painting". He has given the Bride all the fondnefs and beauty of a Venus,, but has made her more than the Goddefs, by fhewing that the height of conjugal love, could not remove hef natural modefty. Her handmaids are leading her into her bed-charriber ; but, when fhe dif- coVerS her hufband ready to receive her, modeftjr overcomes her, arid prevents T3 her 278 A TOUR her advancing. The longing Bridegroom invites her - with the moft ardent affec-r tion, and, with a fmik of tendernefs, feems amufed with her coynefs. She f e-: turns his fmik, but with a kind of de nial; and yet feems wifhing to. comply, but cannot perfuade herfelf to approach him. Her Friends are encouraging her, and the old Nurfe is growing angry at the delay. But I am prefuming to be particular. I therefore pafs over the reft of the paintings, and come to the ftatues and bufts, which are ranged on bafes, at regular diftances, along the walls. r . , At the eaft end, there is a Horfe, whofe head and body excel any thing of the kind I ever beheld ; but the legs are modern, and do not feem to belong to him. Were only the head and neck of Leda expofed, all mankind would allow her to be the fineft piece of fculpture ever pro- • • • 3 , - .- duced ; TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 279 duced : but, whilft we give the Seulptor every credit for his execution, we are provoked at finding him guilty of many inconfiftencies. I fhould not have faid fo much of this ftatue* but that you* like myfelf, might have been deceived by the good nature of thofe well-meaning, but fhal- low writers* who, ftruck with its firft appearance, did not examine farther. Ganymede is, indeed, an admirable ftatue; and his Eagle is much fuperior to Leda's Swan. Pomona feems realty walking, and with a lightnefs equal to the eafe of her perfon. As thefe is no fuperlative difficulty in forming a figure where no paffion is particularly expreffed, I will not dwell on Minerva, Bacchus, Apollo, T. 4 Narciffus, 2$0 A TOUR Narciffus, &c. &c. &c. notwithftandiitg the pleafure I enjoy in admiring them. The bufts contain the heads of all the Roman Emperors, and of fome of their wives. The whole is clofed by a famous wild boar, and the group of Laocoon. Parallel to each of the two long fides of the Gallery, there is a fet of apart ments, included in what is commonly called the Gallery of Florence. The firft on the eaft fide, contains a moft admirable , Ganymede, a country God, and a few more beautiful ftatues and baffo relievos. The principal fub- jeds of the latter, are, the Rape of Europa, and Mark Anthony's Oration on opening Caefar's Will. The next, called the Cabinet of Coins and Medals, contains, as well as thofe articles and fome few bufts, two baflb- relieva TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 2$I relievo figures of Mars and Venus, in pafte exadly like porphyry ; and alfo ftven pidures, three of which are Mo- faic : thofe of St. Peter and St. Paul are reckoned remarkably fine. The third is called the Cabinet of Love, from a little Cupid fleeping on a table, univerfally allowed to be a mafter- piece of fculpture. It alfo contains a few bufts, and the walls are ornamented with twenty-feven paintings ; among which is a Venus, by Titian, univerfally admired : but it has been obferved, that fhe labours under a difadvantage, in being fo near the incomparable one irt the Tribuna. The fourth is filled with fmall ftatues, bufts and pidures. But the room called La Tribuna is the boaft of the whole Gallery. It contains the Venus of Medicis, the Wreftlers, the Liftener, 2§2 A TOuR_ Liftener, and the Fawn, which furpafs what I thought it poffible for marble to exprefs. Nobody that has heard of Florence, but muft have read a particular defcription of thefe admirable ftatues: but, in obedience to your defire, I have fet down the following meafurements of the Venus of Medicis, taken by myfelf: Feet. In. ioths- From the top of her forehead, in a right line, to the ground - - - 4 9 7 But, as fhe leans considerably for ward, her real height, as well as I could meafure, is -----5 2 O Circumference of the largeft parfof her below her hips - - - - 2 n 5 Round her fhoulders and her arms - 3 1 3 Circumference of the fmalleft part of her leg-------0 8 O Of the largeft ------ 1 1 2 Of her ankle 0 8 6 Length of her foot - - - - - o 9 o Her arms are modern, and by no means equal to the reft of the ftatue. Their length is - - - 2 5 5 The TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 283 The paintings in the Tribuna are equal to the ftatues. The moft famous is Titian's celebrated Venus, which juftly merits the high encomiums univerfally conferred upon her. She is lying on a bed, with all her beauties difplayed. The painter, with great judgment, has given her a paffive countenance, and in troduced a foftnefs in her air, full of lan- guifhing defire, but free from lafcivious wantonnefs. One might compare her to a moft beautiful married woman, de prived for the firft time of the prefence of a beloved hufband. In a word, no thing can be more perfed, or more de lightful. St. Catherine alfo by Titian, is another excellent painting, and the Virgin Mary, with the infant Jefus on her knees, like all Carlo Dolce's pidures, is divine and beautiful. Had 284 A T O U R Had I found the vifitation of St. Elizabeth and St. John, fondling the little Jefus on the Virgin's lap, and fe veral others, in any place but where there is fo much to admire, I fhould have thought each of them worthy a par ticular defcription. The next four chambers contain the Venus Anadyomene, and a few more fta- tues in marble; together with a variety of beautiful vafes, plates, cups, and tables, richly inlaid with lapis lazuli and other rich ftone ; near four hundred paintings in the Flemifh manner ; a colkdion of original defigns, or rough fketches, of the beft mafters, and another of prints ; but thefe are very inferior to thofe of the moderns, and are only meant to fhow the progrefs of the art. The cabinet of jewels and precious ftones, cameos, intaglios, &c. clofes the Eaftern range. It TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 285 • It is with great pain that I find myfelf inadequate to an entertaining defcription of thefe invaluable treafures. Thepidure of St. Lawrence eonduded to the tyrant; Hercules after he had killed the Giants, by Alexander Allori ; Helena Forman, by Paul Rubens ; the pearl fifhery, in lapis lazuli, by Anthony Tempefta ; the Rape of Dejanira, by Giordano ; the copy of Correggio's Mary Magdalen-, and many others I could gaze upon for ever. But the objeds of admiration I here meet with, are too numerous to permit me to fepd you even a lift of them. — I have already tranfgreffed the bounds I had propofed to myfelf; but having gone thus far, I will proceed in the fame .ftyk through the apartments on the weft fide. .The firft then is called the Cabinet of Medals, and contains a well arranged colkdion, amounting to the aftonifhing . number of upwards of fourteen thoufand. Many 286 A TOUR Many falfe antiques have been admitted, that amateurs may have an opportunity of ftudying the difference between them and real ones. Over the feven bureaux, in which the medals are preferved, the Labours of Hercules are reprefented in as many filver groupes, copied from John Bologna. But thefe are riot the only mafter- pieces contained in this chamber. Over the chimney there is a hand in relief, by Michael Angelo, equal to his moft celebrated work; and the walls are or namented by thirty-fix pidures, painted jat Florence. The fecond and third rooms contain the portraits of feveral hundred painters, moft of them drawn by themfelves. What a fatisfadion to contemplate the charaders of thofe celebrated mafters, whofe works have afforded us the higheft gratification, But as admittance has never TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 287 never been refufed to the moft humble candidate for fame, who may choofe to fend his portrait, many have gained a place here, who will foon be forgotten every where elfe. In point of execution, my friend the Princefs Belmonte, I am afraid, is among this number ; but as a patronefs of the arts and fciences, fhe is juftly 'entitled to a place in the gallery of Florence ; and, as long as St. Cecilia is held in veneration, the tuneful, the generous Belmonte will ever be remem bered, The fourth is filled with the heads of illuftrious perfons, and a variety of in- fcriptions. On one of which, Seraf- pandes and Rhodafpes, the fons of Phraates, are mentioned ; and it is par ticularly valued becaufe Juftiri, the only Roman hiftorian who fakes notice of thefe . Princes being at Rome, omitted, $heir names. The 288 A TOUR The fifth contains a beautiful ftatue of an hermaphrodite, which gives name to the chamber ; an Adonis, by Mi chael Angelo; Venus Vidrix; Venus Celefte, and a Bacchus. All excellent ftatues; and near fifty valuable paint ings. The prefent Grand Duke, fitted up the fixth hall for the reception ,of Niobe, and her fourteen children, wjth a tafte and magnificence worthy thefe admirable ftatues. The colkdion of old paintings in the next room is alfo the work of the reign ing Prince. They are accompanied by feveral bufts and ftatues. The eighth contains copies in bronze, not only of the Venus of Medicis, and the moft admired pieces in the preceding apartments, but of every other celebrated ftatue, of which the Dukes of Florence have TO CONSTANTINOPLE* 2§0 have not been able to procure the ori ginal. Among thefe are the Quirinal group of horfes \ the Capitol Gladiator ; the Vatican Apollo, and Mekagre ; the little Spanifh fawn ; the Farhefe Her cules, Bull, arid Flora, and many others, Which the fevereft critics have allowed to be equal to the originals; But it is not copies Only which here favifh the fight. John Bologna's in comparable Mercury foon arrefts the eye. He is abfolufely flying, and in fo eafy, and fo natural an attitude, that it is fome moments before one perceives that he is fupported by the breath of Zephyr, on which he is rifing into the air. From this we pafs into the cabinet of bronze antiques, where a variety of miniature Gods and Goddeffes, animals, £nd monfters; altars, tripods, and lamps; U helmets, 29© A TOUR helmets, rings, and bracelets, &c. &c* are preferved in fourteen cafes. We aow clofe the Gallery with the Tufcan Mufeum, whofe chief contents are the inftruments ufed by the ancients in their funeral ceremonies, with a va riety of urns, in which the burnt bones of the dead were depofited. There let them reft in peace, and if fleep has not already overpowered you, indulge it now — I fhall not be offended with you. I am aware, that however refined and extatic the fatisfadion, the objeds I have mentioned afford to the fenfes, this pleafure is not to be com municated in a defcription by fo hum ble a Dilettante as your poor friend. I have, therefore, nearly confined my felf to an abridgment of the catalogue, which, as I before apprifed you, fills a large volume. And fince a long lift, eyen TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 291 even of painters, and fculptors,- ftatues, and paintings, muft ever be dry and tautological, what can we exped from its epitome? But to me, Iconfefs, it has afforded the greateft fatisfadion ; that of proving that to pkafe you, I willingly rifk expofing myfelf. U2 LETTER 292 A TOUR LETTER XXIV. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Naples, April 23, 1788'. MY DEAR FRIEND, \\/E left Florence on the 27th of March, and, on the 6th inftant, failed from Leghorn. The little ifland of Elba lying in ouf courfe towards Naples, we meant to flop there, for a few hours, to examine the harbour, which, it is faid, is a very con venient one for veffels watching an enemy in Leghorn Roads ; but, having no wind till three o'clock in the after noon, we did not reach it till dufk. We were now going nine knots an hour. Nothing could be feen till the morning ; and. TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 293 arid, as We did not think it right to lofe a night's run with fo favourable a wind, we were deprived of the fatisfadion of informing ourfelves with regard to the harbour, and of gratifying our curiofity, by feeing the natural ftate of the curious (tones found in this ifland. The wind continuing fair, we paffed Mount Cercelk, and the coaft of Rome, on the 7th ; at day-light on the 8th, were in fight of Ifchia and Capria ; but, our fair wind dying away, we did not get to an anchor in the bay of Naples till the afternoon of the next day. Mount Vefuvius is in a very different ftate from that in which we left it. There have been feveral eruptions. The fides of the crater or cone have fallen in, and the lava has given itfelf vent, by forcing the fide of the mountain. It is now running ; and, as this is a phe-r nomenon I had not an opportunity of U 3 feeing 294 A TOUR feeing when I was here laft autumn, I made it my firft objed on my return. But the violence of the eruption is over ; and it has now more of the cu rious and beautiful, than of the awful and fublime. The fide of the mountain has clofed, and the lava iffues from it, without its fource being feen, in a ftream of liquid fire, at prefent not more than four feet wide. It moves at a flow rate, and, although fo much a fluid as to be capable of this motion, yet it has fuch a degree of folidity, that ftones of fome pounds weight, thrown with force, did not penetrate its furface. No flame was emitted by the lava, except when we threw flicks, paper, or other combuftible matter upon it, which immediately took fire, and blazed. Water had no effed, but that of blackening, for a moment, the part it fell upon. After TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 295 After having fufiiciently admired this beautiful phenomenon, we fcrambled up the cone, and went into the infide : of the old crater, which I find is already affuming its former ftate; the working of the fire in the bowels of the earth, having overcome the weight above it, and formed a chafm in its former di redion, to the very fummit of the mountain. This aperture is continually widen ing, and will foon again become a mon- ftrous fiery gulph. I heard feveral ex- plofions below, which were accom panied by flafhes of fire, which, darting from fide to fide, in the diredion of the chafm, came up like fo many im menfe flafhes of forked lightning. We began the afcent before fun-fet; and our attention was. fo well engaged, that it was near day-light before we returned tp Naples. U4 The 29^ A TOUR The Princefs Belmonte has renewed her civilities ; and the Nobile havg fent us tickets for their mufical Con-* verfazipne, LETTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE, 297 LETTER XXV. TO CAPTAIN SMITH, Palermp, May ad, 1788. MY DEAR FRIEND, AFTER a pkafant paffage of fcarce forty hours, at day-break on the 26th ult. we found ourfelves in fight of Palermo. Nothing can be more pidu? fefque than this bay. It forms a large amphitheatre, with the Capital of Sicily in the center, furrounded, for fome miles, by a moft beautiful country, in? terfperfed with villas, and inclofed by romantic rocks and mountains. A calm^ which lafted feveral hours, gave us an opportunity of admiring this beautiful fcene at our leifure ; and in the afternoon We anchored in the mole* The 298 A TOUR The town was formerly furrounded by a ftrong wall, but the fortifications are now entirely negkded, except to wards the fea, where there are ftill a few weak works. Prince Caramanico, the Viceroy, was lately Ambaffador at London. We paid our refpeds to him the morning after our arrival, and he gave us a ftate dinner the next day. But we have feen nothing of him fince. Our ftay here is rendered remark able by the fudden death of Prince Pala- gonia. Whilft other men endeavoured to reach the Temple of Fame, by making art equal nature in her moft captivating forms, this Prince ftruck out a new road, by producing fuch monfters as nature, however perverted, could never have brought forth. With him, whoever de- figned TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 299 figned the moft ridiculous and unnatural objed, became the greateft artift. He had a number of fculptors and ftone- cutters conftantly employed for upwards of thirty years, and their produdions amount to near a thoufand pieces. But notwithftanding the great encouragement he gave, and the ample field he held out, very few of his ftatues difplay either genius, execution, or invention. Some of them, indeed, are as extravagant as he could wifh, but even thefe are ex travagant without humour, from the total want of connedion in the mem bers. We fometimes laugh at a body a little deformed, becaufe the parts that compofe it may be fet in a ridiculous point of view ; but where they are to tally heterogeneous, and unconneded, we may be furprifed, but cannot be pleafed. The principal pieces are birds and beafts with human heads, and men with the heads of beafts. Whilft 3OO A TOUR Whilft We Were beholding this gro* tefque collediori with a fmik, half of pity, and half of contempt, I was ftruck by an antique buft of Cleopatra, by much the moft beautiful I ever faw; but its owner fet fo little value upon it, that it is ftuck againft the outfide of his houfe, with another of M. Anthony, nearly as good. The dead at Palermo are never bu ried ; but their bodies are carried to the Capuchin Convent, where, after the funeral fervice is performed, they are dried in a ftove, heated by a compofi-? tion of lime, which makes the fkin ad here to the bones. They are then placed ered in niches, and faftened to the wall by the back or neck. A piece of coarfe drab is thrown over the fhoulders, and round the waift; and their hands are tied together, holding a piece of paper with their epitaph, which is fimply their names, age, and when they died. 4 We TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 30I We of courfe vifited this famous re- pofitory, and it is natural to fuppofe, that fo many corpfes would impref sone with reverence and awe. It was near dufk when we arrived at the Con vent. We paffed the chapel where one of the order had juft finifhed faying vefpers, by the gloomy glimmering of a dying lamp. We were then,] con- duded through a garden, where the yew, the cyprefs, and the barren orange obfcured the remaining light, and where melancholy filence is only di-fturbed by the hollow murmuring of a feeble water fall. All thefe circumftances tuned our minds for the difmal fcene we were going to behold, but we had ftill to defcend a flight of fteps impervious to the fun. And thefe, at laft, conveyed us to the dreary manfion of the dead. But (will you believe me ?) notwith-^ ftanding the chilling fcene we had gone through; notwithftanding our being in the 302 A TOUR the midft of more than a thoufand life- lefs bodies, neither our refped for the dead, or for the holy fathers who con- duded us, could prevent our fmiling. For the phyfiognomies of the deceafed are fo ludicroufly mutilated, and their rnufcles fo contraded and diftorted in the drying, that no French mimick could equal their grimaces. Moft of the corpfes have loft the lower part of the nofe — their necks are generally a little twifted — their mouths drawn awry in one di redion — their nofes in another — their eyes funk and pointed different ways — ¦ one ear perhaps turned up — the other drawn down. The friars foon obferved the mirth thefe unexpeded vifages occa fioned, and one of them as a kind of memento, pointed out to me a Captain of Cavalry, who had juft been cut off in the pride of his youth. But three months ago he was the minion of a King — the favorite of a Princefs — Alas ! how changed ! Even on earth there is n® TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 363 no diftindion between him and the meaneft beggar. This in a moment re turned me to myfelf, and I felt, with full force, the folly of human vanity. I turned to the holy father, who gave me this leffon. His eyes were fixed on what was once a Captain of horfe — I faw in them " Read this, titled pomp, and fhrink " to thy original nothingnefs." " Hie thee to my lady's chamber, " tell her, though fhe paint an inch " thick, to this muft fhe come at laft — " make her laugh at that." The relations of the deceafed are bound to fend two wax tapers every year, for the ufe of the Convent ; in default of which the corpfe is taken down and thrown into the charnel houfe. Were it not for the number of vacancies occafioned by the non-payment of this ftipend, the < 2 Capuchins 304 A tour Capuchins , woujtd be unable to find niches for the number of men who muft die every year in fo populous a city as this. Women are dried as well as the men, but are not expofed. Nobles are fhut up in chefts. I am juft returned from feeing Prince Palagonia become a member of this fo* ciety. The beginning of his funeral, although fimilar to that of every Lord in thi? ifland, ftruck me as being as pre- pofterous as his palace. He was carried to the Convent in a fedan, attended by all his houfehold. As fooa as he entered the Chapel, the fedan was opened, and two pages fup* ported him to an armed chair. Her^ he was feated in ftate, dreffed in his richeft clothes — his hair full powdered — a fword bv his fide-^-his hat under his TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 305 his arm. The Nobility of the ifland were affembled to meet him. They all bowed to the corpfe, and after a fhort paufe the ceremony began. The maffes were interwoven in an Oratorio compofed for the occafion, which, notwithftanding only two days were given to prepare it, did great cre dit to the compofer ; and the performers,. both vocal and inftrumental, gaye him* every fupport. The exordium begin ning with " Ecco il Principe tirefo da " Dio." " Behold the Prince whom " God hath taken," was in the higheft degree pathetic and affeding. The im mortal Handel could not have exceed ed the energy of the mufick, and the corpfe of the departed Prince carried the words with full force to the heart. I regret that I cannot procure this excellent piece, fince, as we are pre paring to fail on our fecond voyage X to $o6 A TOUR to the Archipelago, I was obliged t<9 come on board the moment the cere mony was over. But before I leave this place, I will raife your philanthropy, by mentioning a charitable inftitution which is here car ried to a particular height. I mean a foundation', by whkh a number of fe male children! are not only brought up in morality and religion, and taught fome ufeful artf that will enable them to earn their bread ; but when they ar rive at a certain' age, and are qualified to undertake the cares of a family, por tions are afllgned to thofe who choofe to marry. When virgins have thefe advantages, their Guardians will never. be long in fearch of unexceptionable. hufbands. £"E TTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 3O7 LETTER XXVI. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Smyrnaj May 17th, 178S. MY DEAR FRIEND, A FTF.R an abfence of four months, we returned here on the 24th in- ftant, arid found the Turks in the higheft fpirits. The Emperor has de clared againft them : but this was a pro ceeding they had been prepared for; and, far from his arms having as yef bean attended with any decifive fuccefs, he tarnifhed them in the .onfet, by be ginning the war in a puflllanlmous ftyle, not at all expeded from fo powerful an enemy. We had fcarce left this country, before advice was received of a treacherous at- X 2 tempt ¦308 A T O U R tempt to take Belgrade ; but the flovenly manner in which this enterprife was conduded, gave the Emperor an oppor tunity of denying his being privy to it. It proved unfuccefsful ; and, as the Baron De Herbert, the Imperial Mi- nifter, had changed his threats into ne- gociations for fettling a peace between Turkey and Ruffia, the Porte, unwilling to provoke the Emperor to hoftilities, and in hopes that this failure would* difcourage him from purfuing his de figns againft a people who were fo much better prepared than he expeded, very politically feemed to admit the Inter nuncio's excufes for this breach of faith. It feems, that an officer who had paffed through Belgrade, reported at Vienna, that the fortifications were in a moft ruinous ftate, and that none of the cannon were fit for fervice. On this fallacious information, orders were haftily fent to Generals Mitrowfki and Alvinzy, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 309 Alvinzy, to pafs the Save, with a de tachment of troops, who were to be fup-s ported by Generals De Gomingeii and Klebeck, and to make an immediate at tempt on this important fortrefs ; but the latter Generals not arriving at the appointed time, and the fortifications appearing in a very different ftate from that in which they had been reprefented, Mitrowfki and Alvinzy were obliged to retreat, and to repafs the Save. Notwithftanding the Internuncio's dif- avowal of the Emperor's knowledge of this attempt, accounts were foon re ceived, that Generals Mitrowfki and De Gomingen were ordered to Vienna, to anfwer for their failure ; and, on the 8 th of February, Baron De Herbert de livered a formal declaration of war. After the journey to Cherfon, the un remitting armaments which immediately followed, and, to crown the whole, the X 3 treacherou* 310 A TOUR treacherous attempt upon Belgrade, the Imperial Manifefto, to the furprife of every body, begins in the following manner. — ll All Europe have been wit-* " nefs to the good faith with which the *' Court of his Imperial Majefty has, ** for many years, cultivated peace with V the Ottoman Empire ; the fincere dik " pofitions it has manifefted, on every V rice?uion, to preferve their good neigh- *' bourhood ; its difinterefted and in-* " defatigable endeavours to avoid any ** interruption of their mutual harmony, '*' and its readinefs to lend every office of ^ mediation, to prevent any rupture be-? *' tween the Porte and the neighbouring h Courts. fl Thefe pacific intentions, &c. &c," Notwithftanding the ferious events which this declaration muft produce, it -was impoffible for the Porte to refrain from laughing at the bare-faced manner in TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 31I In which "the Emperor attempted to im-- pofe on the underftandings of the reft of the world. The delaration of war was read to the Imperial troops in Croatia on the 9th of February, and the fame day Dref- nick was attacked by them. The gar- rifon confifted of only feventy men ; but this little corps made a moft gallant defence, and, fmall as their numbers were, they obliged the enemy to fet fire to the place before they could compel them to furrender. At the fame moment a fecond de tachment made an attempt on Sturlich, another inconfiderable poft. The Tur kifh Commandant referved his fire till the Auftrians were near enough for every fhot to take place, he then gave them a volley, which deftroyed a confiderable number of the enemy. The place, however, was afterwards taken ; X 4 and, JI2 A T O U R j and, it is faid, that in revenge for the lofs the Imperialifts had fuftained, they put all the prifoners to the fwordi I cannot believe this report, notwithftand ing the following account publifhed by authority. Vienna, Feb. 27th, 1788. " During the attack of Drefjnick, a " detachment was fent to fummori the " Turks polled at Sturlich to furrenden " They invited the Commanding Officer " to advance within fifty paces on pa-i " role, when they made fo brifk a fire " on the detachment, as to kill fifty " men, which fo enraged the Imperialifts, " that they put the whole Turkifh gar- " rifon to death." I do not think this account at all ex tenuates the feverity, which it admits to have been exercifed ; for I never knew that it was the cuftom to accompany a flag of truce by an armed force ; neither 2 . was TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 313 Was it very military in the German- Officer to advance with his whole de tachment, even had he imagined the place was going to furrender, before he fent a:party to receive the poft from the enemy. The Imperial army now took poft with their left flank on the river Korana, near Drefnick, and their right towards the mountains of Pkffivicza, fo as to have the road to Bihacz open before them. In the mean while, a confiderable corps under Colonel Kefnowick paffed the Unna, and attacked Turkifh Dubitza, but were repulfed with a heavy lofs. The Auftrians themfelves acknowledge to have had 431 men killed and wound ed. This coup-de-main having failed, Prince Charies Lichtenftein was fent to com mence 3 1 4 A T O U R mence a regular fiege. He took the command of the army early in March, and on the 25 th of April, a pradicable breach being made, the Imperialifts ad vanced to the affault. They met a very unexpeded reception, being themfelves moft furioufly charged by the Turks, which threw them into fuch confufion and difmay, that they were foon re- pulfed, and the garrifon fallying out, without giving them time to form, drove them headlong through - their own trenches, burnt their works, and obliged Prince Lichtenftein to crofs the Unna that very night, and fecure himfelf on the oppofite heights. A befieged garrifon routing a befieg- ing army in fo complete a ftyle, is fuch an extraordinary circumftance, that I was anxious to hear what turn the Im perialifts would give it. Their account is fo curious a one, that I fhall fubjoin it for you. * Vienna, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 315 Vienna, May 3d, 1788. *' An attempt was made by the Au- " ftrians on the 25th April to ftorm " Dubitza, but they were repulfed as " they were entering the breach they " had made. In return, the Turks, " having received a reinforcement, which " augmented the garrifon to the number " of twelve thoufand men, fallied out, " and attacked the Auftrians in their " trenches. A general adion then " commenced, which lafted three hours, (t and though the Auftrians were vic- " torious, Prince Lichtenftein thought " proper, all his works being deftroyed, " to raife the fiege, and on the night of " the 25th* he croffed the Unna, and " encamped on the heights between " Dubitza and Bacin, to cover the Au- " ftrian territories from the incurfions of *' the enemy." * The day he attempted to ftorm the gar* rifon. 3 Thus 316 A TOUR Thus we fee, that though the Auftrians were victorious, their works were de ftroyed, the fiege was raifed, and their army obliged to retreat — to pafs a river in the night — and to intrench them felves on the oppofite heights, to defend the country of the conquerors, from the incurfions of the vanquished. An odd kindof vidory this. In a fubfequent account the Auftrians mention Generals Klun and Schlaun being wounded, the latter mortally; and they acknowkge to have had five Lieutenant-Colonels, three Captains, four Lieutenants, and 508 rank and file killed and wounded, befides horfes. Some few privates they fay were miffing, and two field pieces, which were advanced to the attack, were taken by the enemy. Thefe are the lateft accounts from the banks of the Unna. I fhall TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 317 I fhall now proceed eaftward, and you have only to follow me in this direc tion along the frontiers, to have a full view of the Imperial armies in the order you will find them on the map. While Prince Lichtenftein was laying an unfuccefsful fiege to Dubitza, which ended in a complete overthrow ; in con fequence of which we have left him on the Auftrian fide of the Unna, threatened in his new intrenchments, the Grand Imperial Army advanced oppofite to Sa bacz, on the banks of the Save, about two days march weft of Belgrade, where they remained till the Emperor arrived, in order that his taking the field might be marked by a fuccefsful enterprife. But, even according to the Vienna ac count, Sabacz contained but 17 pieces of cannon, and the garrifon amounted to only 800 men. It 3 1 8 A T O U R It fhould feem, however, as if the" Auftrian Generals, in compliment to* their Sovereign, wifhed to conceal the weaknefs of the objed of their enterprife by the pomp of the attack. A regular fiege was commenced, trenches were opened, and the batteries being com pleted by the 23d of April,, began a heavy- cannonade, which foon overpowered the fire of the Turks. Neverthelefs they kept poffeffion of a few rotten walls^ which ferved by way of outwork,; till a column, compofed of the riflemen of the regiment of Peterwaradin, of the free corps of Servig.j and the regiment Efterhazy, advance/d to ftorm them. On this attack the Turks retreated into the interior part of their works, and finding it in vain, in fuch a place, to contend any longer againft the grand army of the Emperor, and a numerous train off aytilkry, they furrendered their poft- 1 The TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 319 The Emperor gave the Turks great credit for their defence, and much to his honour, treated the prifoners with attention, fending their wives and chil dren to their own country. During the few hours the Auftrian fire was kept up, their batteries were well ferved, and the troops ordered to the affault, advanced with great fpirit. In fhort, this enterprife would have done honor to the Emperor's arms, had it been worth the time, labour, and ex- pence he beftowed to achieve it. His people boaft, that among the trophies are twenty pair of colours, but they do not inform us how the' num ber of ftandards came to be near three times that of the cannon, or why eight hundred men fhould have forty colours. And the Turks fay, that till the Grand Vizir can find him better employriient, they haye no objedion to his Imperial Majefty 320 A TOUR Majefty taking every village on the Save on the fame terms he paid for Sabacz. The number of men the Auftrians loft is not exadly known ; the accounts from Vienna only mention that Prince Poniatowfki, and the Baron de Refroy, a General of Artillery, are among the wounded. It was fuppofed that as ' foon as the Emperor took the command of his Grand Army, that he would have be- figed Belgrade, but by the lateft accounts he was very quiet in the neighbourhood of Semlin. The troops employed on the banks of the Danube, between Belgrade and Orfowa, under Generals Wartenfleben and Papilla, have had feveral rencounters with the Turks, with various fuceefs ; but the only event of .any confequence, in TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 321 in this part of the feat of war, was an attempt upon Semendria, in which the Imperialifts were repulfed with confi derable lofs. General Fabricius, who commands the Auftrians in Tranfylvania, has done nothing decifive, and feveral of his pofts have been carried off by the enemy. The Prince De Saxe Cobourg, a Ge neral I much admire, entered Moldavia early in March, with the moft eaftern of the Emperor's armies. This province is governed by a Greek Prince, who is appointed by the Porte, but who wifhing to give himfelf up to the Germans, fent them a fcheme to get poffeffion of his perfon, which was executed with fuch fecrecy, that in the night a detachment of the enemy carried him off from the middle of his capital. It 322 A TOUR It fhould feem as if the Auftrians thought the poffeffion of his perfon of the greateft confequence, fince the mo-r ment they got him, they fled with the utmoft precipitation, without attempting to deftroy the magazines, or to do any other damage. It does not, however, appear that the defedion of this Chief was of any great detriment to the Turkifh caufe, fince fhe Auftrian General only paffed through the north-weft corner of the province, direding his march by Suczawa and Siret, towards Choczim, the moft nor^. thern fortrefs in the poffeffion of the Turks, and their chief frontier towards Poland, diftant from Conftantinopk aoout five hundred miles. The grand exertions of the Ruffians are againft Oczakow. The Captain Ba- fhaw failed for the relief of that for trefs on the 20th of May, but it is 3 feared TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 323 feared that the enemy, are already in poffeffion of both fides of the Liman, by which means their fhips, covered by the batteries on fhore, may prevent the Turkifh fleet from being of .any ufe to the garrifon. The rendezvous of the Ottoman army was firft at Adrianople, about 120. miles from the capital, and afterwards at So phia, near two hundred miles farther on the road to Belgrade. As faft as the troops were affembled, large de tachments were fent to all the garrifons on the frontiers, and there are now 80,000 men ftill left at Sophia ; with thefe, and fome other corps, the Grand Vizir will march againft the Emperor; and fhould his Imperial Majefty choofe to enter the Ottoman territories, or at tempt to befiege Belgrade, a decifive battle muft enfue. Y 2 It 324 A TOUR It will be fome weeks before you hear from me again from this port, fince I fhall fet out to-morrow on a tour to .Macedonia ; and before I return, I pro- pofe vifiting Lefbos, Tenedos, Lemnos, and feveral other of the Greek iflands. LETT E'R TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 325 LETTER XXVII. . TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Smyrna, Oftober loth, 1788. MY DEAR FRIEND, TN my laft letter, we left the Auftrian General, Prince of Saxe Cobourg, direding his march towards Choczim. He fat down before that fortrefs about the middle of March, and immediately began to inveft it ; but the moment the Turks were informed that the enemy had entered Moldavia, they detached a corps of 40,000 men, to drive them out of the province. On the approach of thefe troops, the Prince of Saxe Cobourg was obliged to raife the fiege; and, on the 16th and Y 3 17th 326 A TOUR 17th of May, he croffed the Dniefter, and retired, with his whole army, out of the Turkifh territories : but, being afterwards reinforced by a large corps of Ruffians, he again, on the 2d of July, advanced towards Choczim, and, by the 23d, the greateft part of the town was reduced to afhes. The Turks, however, con tinued to defend themfelves with great valour, till the end of September, when they were obliged to furrender their poft. The garrifon, confifting of about 3,000 men, marched out with the honours of war. The grand army of the Ruffians, under Prince Potemkin ; and the fleet under the Prince of Naffau, are laying clofe fiege to Oczakow. I have al ready mentioned the Captain Bafhaw's departure for the protedion of this fortrefs. The Ruffian fleet met him at. the northern part of the Black Sea ; but, finding the Turkifh force much greater thaa TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 327 than they expeded, they. retreated with-* gut giving battle. The Captain Bafhaw immediately threw out the fignal for a general chace ; but, owing to the fuperiof failing of the* Ruffian fleet, only four of his line of battle fhips got within gunfhot of the enemy, and even thefe could keep up Wjith them but a very fhort time. The Ruffians, made the beft of their' way towards Kimbourn ; and the Caps tan! Bafhaw, the moment this partial adion was over, executed two of his Captains for not having made thofe exertions he expeded, and failed in pur- fuit of the enemy, with thefe delinquents hanging at his yard-arm. The Turkifh fhips appear to me juft what we conceive of the Spanifh Armada; and we have feen how difficult it is for fuch a fleet to ad to advantage againft Y 4 an 328 A TOUR an evading enemy, who, though much inferior in numbers, is confiderably far ther advanced in nautical fkill, and in the fcience of artillery. The Ruffians, with the utmoft dili gence, fecured themfelves within the Liman, covered by the guns of Kim- bourn and the Oppofite batteries. The Captain Bafhaw, finding their pofition too ftrong to admit of a dired attack, embarked his troops in his gun-boats and fmall-craft, in hopes that, by a coup de main, he fhould poffefs himfelf of the enemy's batteries, and open a paffage for his fhips ; but in this attempt he was unfuccefsful ; and feveral of his boats, getting aground, were burnt by the enemy. I have not heard that he has fince been able to throw any fuccours into Oczakow ; but the garrifon, which is numerous and well fupplied, defend themfelves TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 329 themfelves with great refolution ; and, in a grand attack which Prince Potemkin made on the out-works, he was repulfed with very confiderable lofs. The Ruffian fleet, though it co-operates- with the army, may be faid to be itfelf blocked up by the Captain Bafhaw ; and, as there is every reafon to fuppofe that the garrifon of Oczakow will be able to fuftain itfelf till the fevere weather fets in (which, in that climate, furpaffes what people in England can conceive), Prince Potemkin will be obliged either to keep the field during the whole winter, to the extreme diftrefs, and probable mor tality of his army, or to rifk the deftruc- tion of his fleet, which will be frozen up, and expofed to the attacks of the Oczakowians. The following is the Imperial account of the coup de main attempted by the Captain Bafhaw : " Vienna, 33° A TOUR " Vienna, July 9th. " The Captain Bafhaw, being at an- " chor with his fleet near Oczakow, fent " all his light veffels, gun-boats, and " fmall craft, to the number of fifty- *' feven fail, to attack the Ruffian veffels, " confifting of twenty-feven fail of the " fame fort and fize. The Prince of " Naffau placed his force in a pofition " that prevented an attack in line, and " exerted himfelf in fuch a manner, as " not only to repulfe the Turks, bufc to " gain a vidory over them. Two of *' their veffels were blown up, one funk, " and the reft were thrown into con- *' fufion, and driven back, with great *' lofs, till they got under the protection of " the Turkifh fhips of the line *." * This fentence is printed in Italics, to mark, that, though published by the Confederate and Ally of the Emprefs of Ruffia, it contradicts the account given in the Peterfburgh Gazette, in which the fmall craft were magnified into fhips of the line. The TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 331 The accounts from the eaft of the Crimea are, that the Tartars and Ruf fians have had frequent adions, but with no very decifive fuccefs on either fide. Let us now leave the Mofcovites, and turn to the Imperialifts on the weftern fide of the theatre of war. Soon after the defeat of Prince Lich- tenftein by the garrifon of Dubitza, the Turks croffed the Unna, in purfuit of him, and, for fome time, preffed him in his intrenchments ; but,, the moment the news of his difafter reached the Em peror, four fquadrons of dragoons, and feven battalions of infantry, were ordered to his affiftance. To lead thefe troops, and to reanimate his army, the Emperor called forth the great Laudohn — a gallant veteran, to whom every Soldier muft look up with veneration 332 A TOUR veneration and refped. He was now in an advanced age, and had retired from the field of arms, to end his days under . the fhade of his laurels. The Genius of Auftria feemed to call upon him for relief. Roufed by her cries, and by the voice of the Emperor and the People, the veteran hero regained the powers of youth, and armed once more to lead the Imperial banners to vidory. When fo great a charader appears upon the ftage, we can fcarcely refrain from wifhing him fuccefs, whatever may be the merits of his caufe. An am bitious tyrant may plunge his nation into an unjuft war, and his people may be prejudiced enough to fupport him in it ; but the Soldier is neither accountable for the crimes of the one, nor for the follies of the other. His duty as a loyal fub jed, and his virtue as a patriotic citizen, oblige him to exert himfelf to the utmoft, whenever his fervices are called upon ; and, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 333 and, without entering into the politics by which his country is aduated, he feels himfelf engaged to promote, to the full extent of his power, the fuccefs of her arms, in whatever wars fhe is unhappily embarked. — Such a charader is Marfhal Laudohn : but of his Court I by no means entertain fuch favorable fenti- ments. As an Englifhman, policy obliges me to wifh fuccefs to the Turks ; for I have already proved to you, that our lucrative trade to the Levant can never be carried on fo much to our advantage as whilft Turkey remains in the hands of its pre fent poffeffors ; and, as a Philanthrope, I feel the utmoft deteftation of the am bitious combination entered into by the Emperor and the Emprefs, to extirpate the Turks, merely becaufe Nature has been bountiful to their foil, and be caufe their country promifed an eafy Conqueft, Thefe 334 A TOUR Thefe Powers could fcarcely imagine that Europe would look on with in difference ; but they trufted that they had a fufficient party to prevent any open ' declaration in favor of the injured Turks. Thefe expedations, however, the difturbances in Brabant, and the total fufpenfion of the power of France, muft have fruftrated. Blufh, then, O Pruffia ! if you negled this favorable opportunity of fhewing your juftice and magna nimity. — But, ftill more feelingly fhall I fay, blufh, O England ! if you do not, at leaft, infift on an honourable peace for the Turks. Let every thing the Imperial Courts may take from them, be reftored ; but, above all things, prevent the Ruffians obtaining any folid eftablifhment on the Black Sea, or infringing the Grand Signior's right to prevent fhips of force, or warlike ftores, paffing the Bofphorus and Dardanelles. Let the Porte, at leaft, fit down on the fame conditions fhe was forced to accept by the Treaty of Cainardgie — TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 33,$ Cainardgie — a treaty which created hef prefent diftrefs — a treaty which we our felves, in an hour of miftaken policy, compelled her to fubmit to, and which now, that we know our true interefts, we are bound to redrefs. What has become of that fpirit of virtue and generofity, which, not fifty years ago, led us to enter into an ex- penfive war, in favor of Maria Therefa, merely becaufe fhe was then an unfor tunate Princefs, oppreffed by an am bitious neighbour, whofe ufurpations, like thofe of Ruffia, threatened in time to affed ourfelves. It is, no doubt, a confiderable abate ment of the honeft joy an Englifhman feels in contemplating this ad of mag nanimity in his anceftors, to find, that ingratitude has been the only return which has been made to us. In cherifh- ing Auftria and Ruffia, we may really be faid to have nurtured the viper in our bofom, 336 A TOUR bofom, which, in the moment of our diftrefs, attempted a mortal wound, by forming the Armed Neutrality, or, in plain language, a combination to fupply our enemies 'with implements for our dejlruflion. If juftice to the Turks, whom we have reduced to fo critical a fituation ; if a fenfe of our national dignity ; if our deareft intereft, and commercial con cerns, will not induce us to fpeak boldly in a moment like this, felf-prefervation, at leaft, fhould affed us. Let us recoi led, that Ruffia is an evil-difpofed, afpiring child ; that we now have it in our power to curb her proud fpirit ; but that, if we" negled this opportunity, and allow her to increafe in pride and in ftrength, in a few years, perhaps, fhe may trample on our breaft. Pax queritur in Belto is a favorite motto, but Wars guarded againjl in peace, 2 is. TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 337 is, in my opinion, a much better one ; and this is the motto England ought to choofe. There is nothing, in the prefent ftate, of Europe, that Great Britain can in juftice require, but what fhe muft imme- . diately gain. Let her, then, didate terms to Ruffia, and check her ambitious views. If fhe refufes to fubmit, let threats and preparations to enforce them, be added ; and fhew me the Power who, at this moment, will dare to oppofe the ferious threats of England ? Vengeance would foon overwhelm her. The adverfe yiews of France refpeding the Turks, have become every day more notorious *. Monfieur Le Roy, a naval Engineer, who was employed in the Arfenal at Conftantinopk, has been re called, and was lately here on his return * The intrigues of the French Court have been frufjtrated by the Revolution in their own country. Z to 338 A TOUR to France. So far, indeed, have that nation carried their unfriendly meafares, that even two French Officers of Artil lery, and a few Gunners, who were in the feivice of the Porte at Oczakow, have been withdrawn by the Am- baffador. I think I have faid enough to con vince you, that, both through intereft and through principle, I fincerely hope that the oppreffive views of the two Imperial Courts may be fruftrated ; and yet there is fomething fo fafcinating in the appear ance of a Hero, that, I corifefs fo you, when the accounts of his fuccefs arrived, I did not feel forry that the Walls Of Dubitza had not been able to tarnifh the laurels of old Laudohn. This gallant veteran fuperfeded Prince Lichtenftein, and took the command of the army in Croatia, in the month of Auguft. He immediately advanced to Dubitza, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 33O Dubitza, which he took on the 26th of the fame month ; but he had neither to contend with the garrifon that repulfed Colonel Kefhowick, nor with the army that defeated Prince Lichtenftein 5 for the Grand Vizier, having refolved tb in vade Hungary, and to carry the war into the enemy's country, had drawn together all the troops he could colled, in order pafs the Danube in as great force as poffible ; and, not thinking that the Auftrians would fo foon return to a place which had already, in this campaign, twice proved fatal to their arms, he re duced the garrifon of Dubitza to fo fmall a number, that, according to the Imperial account, at the time it furrendered, it did not amount to 400 men. Whether it was, that the Emperor did not find himfelf fofficiently provided to carry the war with vigour into the Turkifh territories, or that the fick- nefs which prevailed among his troops Z 2 fruftrated 340 A TOUR fruftrated his intended operations, I can not pretend to fay; but, to the furprife of every body, the grand Imperial army, commanded by the Sovereign in perfon, remained inadive in the neighbourhood of Semlin, the whole of the months of May, June and July, and a confiderable part of Auguft ; during the greater part of which time, the Grand Vizir was not within an hundred miles of the frontiers. This Chief was extraordinarily late in taking the field. It was not till the end of July, that he pitched his camp at Niffa ; but from this place, he purfued with vigour his grand objed, to carry the war into the enemy's country. For this purpofe, he turned out of the dired road to Belgrade, oppofite to which, in the vicinity of Semlin, the Im perialifts were encamped, and, direding his march immediately towards Hungary, croffed TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 341 croffed the Danube, and, with his whole force, invaded that kingdom. The Auftrian General, Wartenfleben, who had been ordered to watch the motions of the enemy about Orfowa, occupied a ftrong poft in the vicinity of Meadia, from which an advanced corps of the Grand Vizir's army, drove him on the 28th of Auguft. According to the Turkifh plan I faw of this adion, the defile lies between two high mountains ; and in the bottom, a little within the pafs, lies the town. The Auftrians were encamped on the hill on the right, which was looked upon as unaffailabk on the fide towards the Turks. But thefe enthufiaftic people ftormed thefe ftupendous heights with the moft romantic bravery, and carried them, fword iri hand. *> It was not valour only, which diftin- guifhed the Turks on this occafion ; for Z 3 the 342 A TOUR the Serafkier who commanded, fent a confiderable detachment previous to the attack, to make a circuit, and get to the interior fide of the hill on the left, that, if his 'efforts were crowned with fuccefs, this corps might enable him to reap the fruit of his labours, by appearing on the flank of the enemy, and cutting off their retreat from the town. In this they completely fucceeded. Meadia fell into their hands ; and General Wartenfleben was obliged to retreat towards Slatina, leaving all his magazines in the hands of the enemy. As foon as the Emperor was informed of the invafion of Hungary, he put his grand army in motion ; and, on the 30th of Auguft, he had reached Caranfebes, within two days march of General War- tenfleben's corps ; but the news of this General's defeat, checked his Majefty's progfefs. On the 3d of September,. however, he again refumqd his march, and, TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 343 and, advancing towards Slatina, fixed his camp at Illova. In the mean while, the Serafkier and his detachment, after fecuring the maga.. zines, remained in the neighbourhood of Meadia fome days, waiting the arrival of the Grand Vizir, who immediately ad vanced, to offer battle to the grand Im perial army, and, on the 1 oth of Septem-r ber, encamped in fight of the enemy. The Emperor, however, declined the at tack. The Grand Vizir, therefore, began a war of pofts, by which, in a few days, he reduced the enemy to the alternative of either quitting their pofition, or of feeing their retreat cut off, fhould their intrenchments be ftormed. Among other movements, a confider able corps were ordered, on the 14th, to turn the right wing of the Auftrians. The Turks made this attack with fuch impetuofity, that they completely routed Z 4 all 344 A T O U R all this part of the enemy's line, and the Spahis cut to pieces the whole regiment of Wurmfer Huffars. The Grand Vizir was now enabled to cannonade the Emperor's camp ; and, on the 2 1 ft, having brought all his fchemes to bear, and taken every means to fruftrate the enemy's retreat, fhould vidory crown the Ottoman arms, he advanced to attack the grand Imperial army. The Emperor, however, did not think fit to rifk the event, but broke up his camp, and re treated with the greateft precipitation,. . The Turks had now all the honour and advantages of a vidory, without the trouble of fighting for one. The Em peror fled before them ; and his rear, with a great part of his baggage and artillery, fell a prey to the enemy. Some thoufands of his troops were killed, or taken, and his whole army thrown into fuch confufion, that, in the night, two of his TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 345 his columns, meeting unexpededly, fired on each other. It is faid that the Emperor once at tempted to rally his troops, but that, on this occafion, he himfelf was very near being taken prifoner. This glorious fuccefs was announced by the guns of the Seraglio, on the 3d of Odober. A general Thankfgiving was immediately performed, and orders iffued for proclaiming the Grand Signior gazif or vidorious. LETTER 346 A TOUR LETTER XXVIII. TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Conftantinople, Jan. ift, 1789. MY DEAR FRIEND, AN unexpeded opportunity having offered to carry us to Conftanti nople, we fet fail for the Dardanelles on the 25th Od. having previoufly fent to defire an exprefs might meet us there, with the Grand Signior's permiflion to pafs the forts, and go up to his capital. A favor, which, through the intereft of Sir Robert Ainflie, our Ambaffador, the Porte very readily granted. This permiflion, however, is a com pliment feldom or ever paid to a man of war of any nation, except when fhe has TP CONSTANTINOPLE. 347 has an Ambaffador on board ; and it was the more flattering to us, becaufe L'Iris, a French frigate, commanded by the Vifcount D'Orkans, which was lying clofe to us, applied for it in vain at the moment we gained it. To add to the compliment, the Governor of the forts which command the pafs, promifed to falute us. Nothing could be more delightful than our voyage through thefe ftraits. The country on each fide is beautifully pidur refque, and the fituation in itfelf highly interefting. The Dardanelles, you re- colled, are the ancient Helkfpont, and the fpots on which the forts ftand, are famous for the loves of Hero and Lean-! der. Behind us were the Tomb of Achilles, the Semois and Scamander, the celebrated rivers of Troy, and every point brought an interefting charader to our view. The 348 A TOUR The day was moft heavenly; and our fhip, elegantly painted, and all her appointments in the higheft order, formed in herfelf a moft beautiful objed. Every fail was fet, and the breeze had juft ftrength enough to enable her to over come the force of the current. . This occafional flownefs of her motion, added to the majefty of her appearance, and one might almoft have fancied that fhe herfelf was confcious of the compliments fhe was receiving from the mouths of the cannon of Europe and Afia. The Turks at the Dardanelles always falute with ball, and the nearer they go to the veffel, the greater the compli ment. Each fort fired feventeen guns; their cannon are monftrous, and the fhot flying en ricochet along the fmooth furface of the water acrofs our bows, from Europe and Afia alternately, and throwing up the fand on the oppofite thores, while fhouts of applaufe from the TO CONSTANTINOPLE. .349 the admiring multitude, hailed us on our returning their falute, crowned this charming morning. It was near dufk when we got to Galipoli, where the ftraits open into the fea of Marmora, and on the 15th of November we arrived here. The approach to Conftantinopk by fea is thought fuperior to that of Na ples, or Meffina, and of courfe thp fineft in the world; we miffed feeing it, by entering at night — a lofs we hope to compenfate on our departure. Travellers in general exprefs great difappointment when they get into the town ; and in comparifon of European capitals, the ftreets are certainly mifer- able, and the buildings in general but paltry ; but as they are much fuperior to any I have feen in the Turkifh dominions, 2 I confefs 350 A TOUR I confefs that they have exceeded iriy~ expedations. Some of the Mofques are tolerable edifices, however different from our tafte in the ornamental part of architedure. To thefe Chriftians are prohibited accefs ; but the Turks, like other people, are not always proof againft bribery. I have been fhewn feveral, and among the reft, the celebrated one of St. Sophia, fuppofed to have been built by Conftan- tine the Great. But in which I was very much difappointed. The dome only is tolerable. It is fupported by two tier of columns of verde antique. From this ftyle of architedure, and the value of the marble, one would exped a rich and elegant appearance, but the mag nificent effed of the double tier of co lumns, is loft by the entablature being fupported by arches, which reduces the columns to mere piers ; and thus, in comparifon TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 35I comparifon of other works of the an cients, the defign becomes poor and in elegant. The capitals are by no means chafte, and the architedure throughout is very indifferently executed. The Navy Hofpital, though fmall, would do credit to any nation ; and fome of the Grand Signior's fummer palaces, conftruded in the Chinefe ftyle, difplay an elegant neatnefs which could not be furpaffed, even by that ingenious peo ple. But the Seraglio, as far as I was admitted, has nothing to boaft of. I have been through moft parts of the hrft court on the infide, which contain the Mint, and fome Other public offices, and have once or twice been juft within the gate of the Seraglio gardens ; but to the inner court no common bribe will gain a Chriftian admittance, except when an Ambaffador has an audience of the Sultan, and this happens but once during his refidence; for Foreign Mi- 3 rafters 352 A TOUR nifters tranfad no bufinefs with the Grand Signior in perfon, and never vifit him but on their arrival, to deliver their credentials. We are lucky enough to be here at fuch a moment, for the new Venetian ArnbafTador is to have his audience of introdudion in a few days, and has promifed to take me in his fuite. On this occafion, I fhall have the honor of dining with the Reis Effendi, and the other Grand Officers of State, in the interior part of the Seraglio. I have already feen the Grand Signior feveral times, for he goes publicly to Mofque every Friday ; and I attended the Pruffian Envoy when he had his audience of the Caimacan, or ading Grand Vizir, from whom I had the ho^- nor of receiving a muflin handkerchief. It is not very fine, being only intended as a mark of amity, for the Turks ftridly TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 3^3 ftridly adhere to the Oriental cuftom of giving prefents, and their government feems to retain much of its primitive inftitution, Civil and religious law, as in the days of the Patriarchs, form but one code. The Coran is the book, and the Mufti fhe head of both. Like the pradice of earlier ages, alfo, he who rules the ftate in time of peace, leads her armies in time of war. Thus the Grand Vizir is at Once Prime Miriifter":, as well as Captain-General, and Com mander in Chief of the forces. The police of the town refembks the difci- pline of a camp ; the people retire at dufk, patroles are eftablifhed, and in cafe of fire, or any other alarm, the Grand Signior himfelf, and all the Great Officers are immediately abroad. Were the Sovereign to negled appearing on occafions of this kind, it would be thought as great a refledion on him, as if, as a General, he remained in his tent when his camp was attacked. A a Immenfe 354 a fouit Immenfe as the Ottoman Empire is", the whole number of thofe troops that, from being conftantly embodied, can be. called regulars, amount to but about twenty-fix thoufand foot, and a few thoufand horfe. Among the former are a corps of Gardeners, (Boftangi) and another of Porters (Capigi) and thefe are part of the Sultan's body guards. The head gardener (Boftangi Bafhaw) is, by virtue of his employment, Governor of all the forts on the Bofphorus, com monly called the Canal of the Black Sea, and the firft of the Black Eunuchs, is alfo by his Office, Governor and Com mander in Chief of the Seraglio, or Grand Palace and Citadel of Conftan tinopk* The canal, including its windings, is about twenty miles in length, and in moft parts not more than a mile wide, which defends the capital againft an at tack by flapping from the Black Sea, whilft TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 355 whilft thcDardanelks, although an hun dred miles diftant, proted it againft men of war from the Mediterranean. The. laft of thefe ftraits, at the points on which the old caftles ftand, are only about 1 300 yards wide ; and although they expand immediately, yet for the courfe of forty miles a fhip can feldom be out of gunfhot from one or other fide. A ftrong north wind blows all fummer, which renders it impoffible for veffels to force their way up at that feafon, and the current at all times fets fo ftroftg, that even with a fair wind, they, muft be expofed for feveral hours to a very hot fire. The caftles are clofe to the water's edge; they have each two tier of guns, many of the lower carry balls of eighteen inches diameter, and when an enemy is in force in the Mediter ranean, the whole extent of the Darda nelles is lined with batteries. A a 2 The 356 a Tour The town properly called Gonftanti* nople, is a kind of Peninfula, in the form of a triangle, one fide of which is wafhed by the fea of Marmora^ at the north end of which it ftands ; the fecond by the harbour, on which the canal opens; this fide fronts the north, and, except- the Seraglio, which forms the eaft falient angle, is entirely open. There is nothing towards the fea of Marmora, except a dead wall, the Turks trufting to the defences I have already mentioned, againft an attack by fea. Neither do they feem more apprehenfive on the third, or land fide, for the ancient triple wall, which, by running acrofs from the bottom of the harbour to the fea of Mar mora, cuts the town from the country, is falling to decay. I found it to be near five miles in length, and the only part of it kept in repair, is the Caftle of the Seven Towers, now converted into a ftate prifon. Englifh artillery would lay both TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 357 both it and the Seraglio in afhes in half an hour. Befides the triangle I have juft de fcribed, the populous towns of Pera, Galata, and Tophana, which run into each other on the oppofite fide of the harbour, are alfo included in what is commonly called Conftantinopk. Galata contains the dockyard and naval arfenal ; Tophana the ordnance and foundry, and Pera is the refidence of the Foreign Minifters. No part of thefe three towns have even a mud wall to defend them. The Janizaries form the chief part of the ftanding army. They are ftill highly refpeded both by the court and the peo ple, but have loft fo much of their for mer confequence, that at the commence ment of the prefent war, the Grand Vizir broke a whole chamber, or regi- A a 3 ment 358 A TOUR merit of them, for fhewing a fpirit of difcontent. A feverity, which though juft, none of his predeceffors, nor even the Sultans themfelves dared ever attempt. Abdoul Hamet, the Grand Signior, is upwards of fixty years old ; but he poffeffes an engaging, benevolent coun tenance ; and I like him the more from his attention to his wives ; for although he may have as many of the moft beau tiful women as he pleafes, yet he has attached himfelf to one. His happy favorite is now pregnant for the fourth time, and fuch is the attention paid her, that the veffels in the harbour are obliged to fufpend the regular method of carry ing on duty, and are not permitted to fire a mufket, nor to ftrike the bell, nor even to give the word of command in a loud voice. By which you will per ceive, that the invifible chains of the fair are as powerful in Turkey as in our bleffed TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 359 bleffed ifland ; and that the rude Turk, and the generous Englifhman, though different in manners, are alike fenfible of the refped due to gentknefs and Aa4, letter 360 A T O U R LETTER XXIX, TO CAPTAIN SMITH. Constantinople, Jan. 24th, 1789. MY DEAR FRIEND, ^pHE Porte having given a decifive anfwer, relative to the frigates which were brought to Conftantinopk to be fold, we fhall fail for Gibraltar immediately. We have been detained here much longer than we expeded, but the hofpitality and munificence of Sir Robert Ainflie, have amply compenfated this delay ; and it is with the greateft regret, that I fee myfelf on the eve of leaving his fociety, and of quitting a place where the hearts of every one feem fo wifh tp detain p,s, Nothing TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 361 Nothing could exceed the animation 'of the Turks at the moment of our ar rival at this capital. The King of Sweden had relieved the Porte from a great part of the force of the Ruffians, and the accounts of the glorious vidories of Mea dia and Caranfebes, obtained over the Emperor, were confirmed and increafed by the hundreds of prifbners who were daily brought in. So complete a panic pervaded the Imperial troops, that on an alarm of the enemy's approach, the heavy baggage, which had been fent on towards Te- mefwar, was immediately- abandoned, and a great part of it pillaged, and carried off by a corps of Partifans. But at this moment, when vidory, with extended wings, was following the Ottoman arms, and when each day brought them frefh advantages, the Grand Vizir fuddenly halted, and then turned to 362 A TOUR to the left. It was ftill hoped, however, that his operations would continue offen- five; but probably refleding on the danger of not finding fubfiftance for fo immenfe an army, during the approaching winter, fhould he purfue the Emperor into the heart of his country, and that the Im perial armies from Tranfylvania and Moldavia might come down and cut him off from the Danube, he had de termined not to lofe fight of the banks of that river; and that, inftead of pur- fuing the Emperor at random, wherever he chofe to lead him, he had refolved to fecure the conquefts he had made, which would enable him to winter with fafety in the enemy's country. This opinion was, for fome time, ftrengthened by his fubfequent move ments ; he left a ftrong garrifon in Mear dia, and his march was direded through the Bannat of Temefwar, and pointed immediately at Semlin, which, had he taken TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 363 taken, would have fecured the left flank of the chain of pofts, by which it was fuppofed he would have inclofed the Bannat. All hi§ motions moft ftrongly indicated an attempt upon that fortrefs, and, as there was no doubt of his fucceeding, the inhabitants fled with all their effeds. A corps of 3000 men, who were encamped under its walls, tp watch the motions of th : garrifon of Belgrade, retired on his approach. He, had been unoppofed for fix weeks, and his condud at Illova had given the Em- perpr fo formidable an impreffion of his vigour and abilities, that his Majefty had gone in perfon as far as Arad, to put that place in a ftate of defence. But now that the Grand Vizir was in fight of Semlin, inftead of taking this town, and afterwards wintering in the Bannat, or in the diftrid the Imperia lifts occupied in the fpring, he blafted the hopes of his friends, by withdrawing • his 364 A TOUR his whole force out of the Auftrian ter* ritories *. I am exceedingly forry that I am not fufiiciently informed to produce thofe fa- tisfadory reafons which fo fublime a genius, and fo brave a man, muft doubt- kfs poffefs for this retrograde motion in the hour of vidory. Neither can I take upon me to advance, that the fuc cefs of Marfhal Laudohn formed any part of them. This great General having taken Du bitza on the 26th of Auguft, marched for Novi on the 29th. The Bafhaw of Travenick retarded for fome time his operations againft that fortrefs, but hav ing too courageoufly attempted to ftorm * For which he was afterwards beheaded; but as both his refolution and abilities were unque- ftionably great, his fate was defervedly lamented by all intelligent people. the TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 365 the Auftrian trenches, he was repulfed with a heavy lofs. The Marfhal now purfued the fiege with vigour, and on the 21ft of September, a pradicabk breach being made, he advanced to the affault, but was now in his turn repulfed, and the Vienna Gazette acknowleges, that on this occafion he loft 284 men. On the 3d of Odober he renewed the attack, and the garrifon being by this time reduced to 600 men, were made prifoners. From Novi Marfhal Laudohn ad vanced to Gradifka ; hut the overflowing of the Save obliged him to fufpend his operations, and to retire into winter quarters. The campaign is now clofed, except in the environs of Oczakow, where the Ruffian fleet being froze in, the army is obliged to remain for their defence, 3 notwith- 366 A TOUR notwithftanding that immenfe number's of their men are every day carried off by the feverity ; of the weather, and the fcarcity and badnefs of provifions. In the mean while the Captain Ba fhaw has brought his fleet here to refh% and will refume the blockade of the Ruffians as foon as the ice breaks. The fuccefs of this Admiral has not been fo great as his force, abilities, and re^- folution gave the Porte reafon to exped ; but they are fatisfied, that by engaging almoft the whole attention of the Ruffians, he paved the way for the fuccefs of the Grand Vizir, whofe vidories have more than compenfated in the eyes of the Turks, for the difappointment of the Captain Bafhaw. The fquadron from the fouthward have brought in three Ruffian Privateers, and fince there is reafon to hope that 4 Oczakow TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 367 Oczakow * will hold out, this campaign has, upon the whole, exceeded the moft fanguine eXpedations of the Turks. I am aftonifhed that they have made it out fo well, for their army is really little better than an animated mob under the com* mand of a popular leader. I have fearch- ed in vain for field-days or reviews, even among the ftanding forces. The only thing like military exercife, that I could ever difcover, was now and then two or three men firing at a mark, or pradifing themfelves in throwing the lance on horfeback. At prefent the grand army is elated with vidory, and formidable by the fpirit infufed by fuccefs ; but as one or two defeats will deftroy that religious confi dence and enthufiaftic fury, which, for a * A magazine having blown up, and made a practicable breach, the Ruffians immediately ad vanced to the affault, and, after facrificiflg four thoufand' men, carried the town. time, 368 A TOUR time, fupply the want of difcipline and fkill, the third campaign, I am afraid, will fhake this very capital, unlefs Eng land and Pruffia forbid fuch a cataftro- phe, and by refolute meafures, confirm the expedations of the Porte, and of all thofe who wifh well to the honor and intereft of the Triple Alliance. A D V E R- ADVERTISEMENT. TT was the Author's original intention to publifh his work in two volumes, one of which was to contain the whole of his firft voyage to the Levant, with bis return to Italy, defcribing all the places he vifited previous to his de parture from Palermo, whence he fet out on his fecond voyage to Turkey. This voyage would have formed the fecond volume, but finding the time allowed him on leave of abfence in- B b fufficient 370 ADVERTISEMENT. fufficient to complete his defign, he has been obliged, for the prefent, to withhold the latter part of it; and therefore, to make the firft in fome degree a complete work in itfelf, he has curtailed his journal, and added a brief account of Conftantinopk, and of the leading events in the prefent war be tween the Porte and the two Imperial Courts. Convinced that thefe would never be fo interefting as at the pre fent moment, he could not think of withholding them from the public till he fhould have leifure to publifh his fecond volume. And indeed, even in the time fince his letters on thefe im portant tranfadions were written, the fcene, as he forefaw, is entirely changed, and the Ruffian and Auftrian armies are now advancing towards Conftanti-? nople with fuch fuccefs, that the fafety of that capital feems no longer to de pend upon the Turks, but on thofe Powers, without whofe countenance, it 4 is ADVERTISEMENT, 37$ is to be fuppofed, the Porte would never have engaged againft fuch fuperior eneT mies. The Author during his firft voyage? treated but flightly on the manners and government of the Turks. The euftoms of thofe people being totally different from any other nation he had vifited, his refped for the public would not permit him to offer a par ticular defcription on fo flight an ac quaintance, efpecially as he was to return to Turkey immediately, and to pafs near a twelvemonth in that country. He therefore defires to have himfelf eonfidered as being now on the point of leaving Palermo, on his return to the Archipelago ; and if the indul gence of the Public fhould give him fufficient encouragement to appear be fore them once more, he will endea vour 372 ADVERTISEMENT. ^our to gratify their curiofity, by pub- lifhing the fecond part of his Tour as foon as his military duty will permit him. If the Author has not been fo co pious as he might on Italy and Sicily, it is out of deference to Mr. Moore and Mr. Brydone, whofe elegant works have been fo univerfally read apd ad mired, that but little can now be faid on the fame fubjed. The very liberal and diftinguifhed patronage with which the Author has been honored, merits his warmeft ac knowledgment ; and he has only to add,i that it now refts with the public, ei-~ ther to encourage him to appear before them again, or by their filence, to com mand his. FINIS.