Contradictory reports--Departure from Constantinople on board the
Archduke John--Scene on the steamer--Galipoli--The Dardanelles--
Tschenekalesi and Kilidil Bahar--The field of Troy--Tenedos--Smyrna--
Halizar--The date-palm--Burnaba--The Acropolis--Female beauty--
Rhodes--Strong fortifications--Deserted appearance of the town--
Cyprus.
The extremely unfavourable reports I heard from Beyrout and
Palestine caused me to defer my departure from day to day. When I
applied to my consul for a "firmann" (Turkish passport), I was
strongly advised not to travel to the Holy Land. The disturbances
on Mount Lebanon and the plague were, they assured me, enemies too
powerful to be encountered except in cases of the most urgent
necessity.
A priest who had arrived from Beyrout about two months previously
affirmed positively that, in consequence of the serious
disturbances, even he, known though he was far and wide as a
physician, had not dared to venture more than a mile from the town
without exposing himself to the greatest danger. He advised me to
stay in Constantinople until the end of September, and then to
travel to Jerusalem with the Greek caravan. This, he said, was the
only method to reach that city in safety.
One day I met a pilgrim in a church who came from Palestine. On my
asking his advice, he not only confirmed the priest's report, but
even added that one of his companions had been murdered whilst
journeying homeward, and that he himself had been despoiled of his
goods, and had only escaped death through the special interposition
of Providence. I did not at all believe the asseverations of this
man; he related all his adventures with such a Baron Munchausen air,
assumed probably to excite admiration. I continued my
investigations on this subject until I was at length fortunate
enough to find some one who told an entirely different tale. From
this I felt assured at least of the fact, that it would be almost
impossible to learn the true state of the case here in
Constantinople, and at length made up my mind to avail myself of the
earliest opportunity of proceeding as far as Beyrout, where there
was a chance of my getting at the truth.
I was advised to perform this journey in male attire; but I did not
think it advisable to do so, as my short, spare figure would have
seemed to belong to a youth, and my face to an old man. Moreover,
as I had no beard, my disguise would instantly have been seen
through, and I should have been exposed to much annoyance. I
therefore preferred retaining the simple costume, consisting of a
kind of blouse and wide Turkish trousers, which I then wore. The
further I travelled, the more I became persuaded how rightly I had
acted in not concealing my sex. Every where I was treated with
respect, and kindness and consideration were frequently shewn me
merely because I was a woman. On
May 17th
I embarked on board a steamboat belonging to the Austrian Lloyd. It
was called the Archduke John.
It was with a feeling of painful emotion that I stood on the deck,
gazing with an air of abstraction at the preparations for the long
voyage which were actively going on around me. Once more I was
alone among a crowd of people, with nothing to depend on but my
trust in Providence. No friendly sympathetic being accompanied me
on board. All was strange. The people, the climate, country,
language, the manners and customs--all strange. But a glance upward
at the unchanging stars, and the thought came into my soul, "Trust
in God, and thou art not alone." And the feeling of despondency
passed away, and soon I could once more contemplate with pleasure
and interest all that was going on around me.
Near me stood a poor mother who could not bear to part with her son.
Time after time she folded him in her arms, and kissed and blessed
him. Poor mother! wilt thou see him again, or will the cold ground
be a barrier between you till this life is past? Peace be with you
both!
A whole tribe of people came noisily towards us;--they were friends
of the crew, who bounced about the ship from stem to stern,
canvassing its merits in comparison with French and English vessels.
Suddenly there was a great crowding on the swinging ladder, of
chests, boxes, and baskets. Men were pushing and crushing backwards
and forwards. Turks, Greeks, and others quarrelled and jostled each
other for the best places on the upper deck, and in a few moments
the whole large expanse wore the appearance of a bivouac. Mats and
mattresses were every where spread forth, provisions were piled up
in heaps, and culinary utensils placed in order beside them; and
before these preparations had been half completed the Turks began
washing their faces, hands, and feet, and unfolding their carpets,
to perform their devotions. In one corner of the ship I even
noticed that a little low tent had been erected; it was so closely
locked, that for a long time I could not discern whether human
beings or merchandise lay concealed within. No movement of the
interior was to be perceived, and it was not until some days
afterwards that I was informed by a Turk what the tent really
contained. A scheick from the Syrian coast had purchased two girls
at Constantinople, and was endeavouring to conceal them from the
gaze of the curious. I was for nine days on the same vessel with
these poor creatures, and during the whole time had not an
opportunity of seeing either of them. At the debarcation, too, they
were so closely muffled that it was impossible to discover whether
they were white or black.
At six o'clock the bell was rung to warn all strangers to go ashore;
and now I could discover who were really to be the companions of my
journey. I had flattered myself that I should find several Franks
on board, who might be bound to the same destination as myself; but
this hope waxed fainter and fainter every moment, as one European
after another left the ship, until at length I found myself alone
among the strange Oriental nations.
The anchor was now weighed, and we moved slowly out of the harbour.
I offered up a short but fervent prayer for protection on my long
and dangerous voyage, and with a calmed and strengthened spirit I
could once more turn my attention towards my fellow-passengers, who
having concluded their devotions were sitting at their frugal meal.
During the whole time they remained on the steamer these people
subsisted on cold provisions, such as cheese, bread, hard-boiled
eggs, anchovies, olives, walnuts, a great number of onions, and
dried "mishmish," a kind of small apricot, which instead of being
boiled is soaked in water for a few hours. In a sailing vessel it
is usual to bring a small stove and some wood, in order to cook
pilau, beans, fowls, and to boil coffee, etc. This, of course, is
not allowed on board a steamboat.
The beauty of the evening kept me on deck, and I looked with a
regretful feeling towards the imperial city, until the increasing
distance and the soft veil of evening combined to hide it from my
view, though at intervals the graceful minarets were still dimly
discernible through the mist. But who shall describe my feelings of
joy when I discovered a European among the passengers? Now I was no
longer alone; in the first moments we even seemed fellow-countrymen,
for the barriers that divide Europeans into different nations fall
as they enter a new quarter of the globe. We did not ask each
other, Are you from England, France, Italy; we inquired, Whither are
you going? and on its appearing that this gentleman intended
proceeding, like myself, to Jerusalem, we at once found so much to
talk about concerning the journey, that neither of us thought for a
moment of inquiring to what country the other belonged. We
conversed in the universal French language, and were perfectly
satisfied when we found we could understand each other. It was not
until the following day that I discovered the gentleman to be an
Englishman, and learned that his name was Bartlett. {79}
In Constantinople we had both met with the same fate. He had been,
like myself, unable to obtain any certain intelligence, either at
his consul's or from the inhabitants, as to the feasibility of a
journey to Jerusalem, and so he was going to seek further
information at Beyrout. We arranged that we would perform the
journey from Beyrout to Jerusalem in company,--if, indeed, we found
it possible to penetrate among the savage tribes of Druses and
Maronites. So now I no longer stood unprotected in the wide world.
I had found a companion as far as Jerusalem, the goal of my journey,
which I could now hope to reach.
I was well satisfied with the arrangements on board. I had made up
my mind, though not without sundry misgivings, to take a second-
class berth; and on entering the steamer of the Austrian Lloyd, I
discovered to my surprise how much may be effected by order and good
management. Here the men and the women were separately lodged,
wash-hand basins were not wanting, we fared well, and could not be
cheated when we paid for our board, as the accounts were managed by
the first mate: on the remaining steamers belonging to this company
I found the arrangements equally good.
Crossing the Sea of Marmora, we passed the "Seven Towers," leaving
the Prince's Islands behind us on the left.
Early on the following day,
May 18th,
we reached the little town of Galipoli, situate on an eminence near
the Hellespont. A few fragments of ruins in the last stage of
dilapidation cause us to think of the ages that have fled, as we
speed rapidly on. We waited here a quarter of an hour to increase
the motley assemblage on deck by some new arrivals.
For the next 20 miles, as far as Sed Bahe, the sea is confined
within such narrow bounds, that one could almost fancy it was a
channel dug to unite the Sea of Marmora with the Archipelago. It is
very appropriately called the STRAIT of the Dardanelles. On the
left we have always the mainland of Asia, and on the right a tongue
of land belonging to Europe, and terminating at Sed Bahe. The
shores on both sides are desert and bare. It is a great contrast to
former times, a contrast which every educated traveller must feel as
he travels hither from the Bosphorus. What stirring scenes were
once enacted here! Of what deeds of daring, chronicled in history,
were not these regions the scene! Every moment brought us nearer to
the classic ground. Alas, that we were not permitted to land on any
of the Greek Islands, past which we flew so closely! I was obliged,
perforce, to content myself with thinking of the past, of the
history of ancient Greece, without viewing the sites where the great
deeds had been done.
The two castles of the Dardanelles, Tschenekalesi and Kilidil Bahar,
that on the Asiatic shore looking like a ruin, while its European
neighbour wore the appearance of a fortress, let us steam past
unchallenged. And how shall I describe the emotions I felt as we
approached the plains of Troy?
I was constantly on deck, lest I should lose any portion of the
view, and scarcely dared to breathe when at length the long-wished-
for plain came in sight.
Here it is, then, that this famous city is supposed to have stood.
Yonder mounds, perchance, cover the resting-places of Achilles,
Patroclus, Ajax, Hector, and many other heroes who may have served
their country as faithfully as these, though their names do not live
in the page of history. How gladly would I have trodden the plain,
there to muse on the legends which in my youth had already awakened
in me such deep and awe-struck interest, and had first aroused the
wish to visit these lands--a desire now partially fulfilled! But we
flew by with relentless rapidity. The whole region is deserted and
bare. It seems as if nature and mankind were mourning together for
the days gone by. The inhabitants may indeed weep, for they will
never again be what they once were.
In the course of the day we passed several islands. In the
foreground towered the peak of the Hydrae, shortly afterwards
Samothrace rose from the waves, and we sailed close by the island of
Tenedos. At first this island does not present a striking
appearance, but after rounding a small promontory we obtained a view
of the fine fortress skirting the sea; it seems to have been built
for the protection of the town beyond.
After passing Tenedos we lost sight of the Greek islands for a short
time (the mainland of Asia can always be distinguished on our left),
but soon afterwards we reached the most beautiful of them all--
Mytelene, which has justly been sung by many poets as the Island of
the Fairies. For seven hours we glided by its coast. It resembles
a garden of olives, orange-trees, pomegranates, etc. The view is
bounded at the back by a double row of peaked mountains, and the
town lies nearly in the midst. It is built in a circular form,
round a hill, strengthened with fortifications. In front the town
is girded by a strong wall, and in the rear extends a deep bay. A
few masts peered forth and shewed us where the bay ended. From this
point we saw numerous villages prettily situated among the luxuriant
shade of large trees. It must be a delightful thing to spend the
spring-time on this island.
I remained on deck till late in the night, so charming, so rich in
varied pictures of verdant isles is this voyage on the AEgaean Sea.
Had I been a magician, I would have fixed the sun in the heavens
until we had arrived at Smyrna. Unfortunately many a beauteous
island which we next morning contemplated ruefully on the map was
hidden from us by the shades of night.
May 19th.
Long before the sun was up, I had resumed my post on deck, to
welcome Smyrna from afar.
A double chain of mountains, rising higher and higher, warned us of
our approach to the rich commercial city. At first we can only
distinguish the ancient dilapidated castle on a rock, then the city
itself, built at the foot of the rock, on the sea-shore; at the back
the view is closed by the "Brother Mountains."
The harbour is very spacious, but has rather the appearance of a
wharf, with room for whole fleets to anchor. Many ships were lying
here, and there was evidently plenty of business going on.
The "Franks' town," which can be distinctly viewed from the steamer,
extends along the harbour, and has a decidedly European air.
Herr von Cramer had been previously apprised of my arrival, and was
obliging enough to come on board to fetch me. We at once rode to
Halizar, the summer residence of many of the citizens, where I was
introduced to my host's family.
Halizar is distant about five English miles from Smyrna. The road
thither is beautiful beyond description, so that one has no time to
think about the distance. Immediately outside the town we pass a
large open place near a river, where the camels rest, and where they
are loaded and unloaded; I saw a whole herd of these animals. Their
Arab or Bedouin drivers were reclining on mats, resting after their
labours, while others were still fully employed about their camels.
It was a truly Arabian picture, and moreover so new to me, that I
involuntarily stopped my long-eared Bucephalus to contemplate it at
my leisure.
Not far from this resting-place is the chief place of rendezvous and
pastime of the citizens. It consists of a coffee-booth and a few
rows of trees, surrounded by numerous gardens, all rich in beautiful
fruit-trees. Charming beyond all the rest, the flower of the
pomegranate-tree shines with the deepest crimson among the green
leaves. Wild oleanders bloomed every where by the roadside. We
wandered through beautiful shrubberies of cypress-trees and olives,
and never yet had I beheld so rich a luxuriance of vegetation. This
valley, with its one side flanked by wild and rugged rocks, in
remarkable contrast to the fruitful landscape around, has a peculiar
effect when viewed from the hill across which we ride. I was also
much amazed by the numerous little troops of from six to ten, or
even twenty camels, which sometimes came towards us with their grave
majestic pace, and were sometimes overtaken by our fleet donkeys.
Surrounded on all sides by objects at once novel and interesting, it
will not be wondered at that I found the time passing far too
rapidly.
The heat is said not to be more oppressive at Smyrna during the
summer than at Constantinople. Spring, however, commences here
earlier, and the autumn is longer. This fact, I thought, accounted
for the lovely vegetation, which was here so much more forward than
at Constantinople.
Herr von Cramer's country-house stands in the midst of a smiling
garden; it is spacious and built of stone. The large and lofty
apartments are flagged with marble or tiles. In the garden I found
the first date-palm, a beautiful tree with a tall slender stem, from
the extremity of which depend leaves five or six feet in length,
forming a magnificent crown. In these regions and also in Syria,
whither my journey afterwards led me, the date-palm does not attain
so great a height as in Egypt, nor does it bear any fruit, but only
stands as a noble ornament beside the pomegranate and orange trees.
My attention was also attracted to numerous kinds of splendid
acacias; some of these grew to an immense size, as high as the
walnut-trees of my own country.
The villas of the townspeople all strongly resemble each other. The
house stands in the midst of the garden, and the whole is surrounded
by a wall.
In the evening I visited some of the peasants, in company with Herr
von C. This gentleman informed me that these people were very poor,
but still I found them decently clad and comfortably lodged in large
roomy dwellings built of stone. Altogether, the condition of
affairs seems here vastly superior to that in Galicia and in Hungary
near the Carpathian mountains.
I reckoned the day I spent with this amiable family among the most
pleasant I had yet passed. How gladly would I have accepted their
hearty invitation to remain several weeks with them! But I had lost
so much time in Constantinople, that on the morning of
May 20th
I was compelled to bid adieu to Frau von C. and her dear children.
Herr von C. escorted me back to Smyrna. We took the opportunity of
roaming through many streets of the Franks' quarter, which I found,
generally speaking, pretty and cheerful enough, and moreover level
and well paved. The handsomest street is that in which the consuls
reside. The houses are finely built of stone, and the halls are
tastefully paved with little coloured pebbles, arranged in the form
of wreaths, stars, and squares. The inhabitants generally take up
their quarters in these entrance-halls during the day, as it is
cooler there than in the rooms. To nearly every house a pretty
garden is attached.
The Turkish town is certainly quite different; it is built of wood,
and is angular and narrow; dogs lie about in the streets, just as at
Brussa and Constantinople. And why should it be otherwise here?
Turks live in all this quarter, and they do not feel the necessity
of clean and airy dwellings like the fastidious Franks.
The bazaars are not roofed; and here also the costlier portion of
the wares is kept under lock and key.
It is well worth the traveller's while to make an excursion to
Burnaba, a place lying on the sea-coast not far from the town, and
serving, like Halizar, as a retreat for the townspeople during the
summer. The views in this direction are various, and the road is
good. The whole appearance of the place is that of a very extended
village, with all its houses standing in the midst of gardens and
surrounded by walls.
From the Acropolis we have a fine view in every direction, and find,
in fact, a union of advantages only met with separately elsewhere.
In Smyrna I found the most beautiful women I had yet seen; and even
during my further journey I met with few who equalled, and none who
surpassed them. These fairy forms are, however, only to be sought
among the Greeks. The natural charms of these Graces are heightened
by the rich costume they wear. They have a peculiarly tasteful
manner of fastening their little round fez-caps, beneath which their
rich hair falls in heavy plaits upon their shoulders, or is wound
with a richly embroidered handkerchief round the head and brow.
Smyrna is, however, not only celebrated as possessing the loveliest
women, but also as the birthplace of one of the greatest men. {85}
O Homer, in the Greece of to-day thou wouldst find no materials for
thine immortal Iliad!
At five o'clock in the afternoon we quitted the harbour of Smyrna.
In this direction the town is seen to much greater advantage after
we have advanced a mile than when we approach it from
Constantinople; for now the Turks' town lies spread in all its
magnitude before us, whereas on the other side it is half hidden by
the Franks' quarter.
The sea ran high, and adverse winds checked the speed of our good
ship; but I am thankful to say that, except when the gale is very
strong, it does not affect my health. I felt perfectly well, and
stood enjoying the aspect of the waves as they came dancing towards
our vessel. In Smyrna our company had been augmented by the arrival
of a few more Franks.
May 21st.
Yesterday evening and all this day we have been sailing among
islands. The principal of these were Scio, Samos, and Cos, and even
these form a desolate picture of bare, inhospitable mountains and
desert regions. On the island of Cos alone we saw a neat town, with
strong fortifications.
May 22d.
This morning, shortly after five o'clock, we ran into the superb
harbour of Rhodes. Here, for the first time, I obtained a correct
notion of a harbour. That of Rhodes is shut in on all sides by
walls and masses of rock, leaving only a gap of a hundred and fifty
to two hundred paces in width for the ships to enter. Here every
vessel can lie in perfect safety, be the sea outside the bar as
stormy as it may; the only drawback is, that the entering of this
harbour, a task of some difficulty in calm weather, becomes totally
impracticable during a storm. A round tower stands as a protection
on either side of the entrance to the harbour. The venerable church
of St. John and the palace of the Komthur can be distinguished
towering high above the houses and fortifications.
Our captain imparted to us the pleasant intelligence that we might
spend the hours between this and three o'clock in the afternoon on
shore. Our ship had for some time lain surrounded by little boats,
and so we lost no time in being conveyed to the land. The first
thing we did on reaching it was to ask questions concerning the
ancient site of the celebrated Colossus. But we could gain no
information, as neither our books nor the people here could point
out the place to us with certainty; so we left the coast, to make up
for the disappointment by exploring the ancient city.
Rhodes is surrounded with three rows of strong fortifications. We
passed over three drawbridges before entering the town. We were
quite surprised to see the beautiful streets, the well-kept houses,
and the excellent pavement. The principal street, containing the
houses of the ancient Knights of St. John, is very broad, with
buildings so massively constructed of stone as almost to resemble
fortresses. Heraldic bearings, with dates carved in stone, grace
many of the Gothic gateways. The French shield, with the three
lilies and the date 1402, occurs most frequently. On the highest
point in the city are built the church of St. John and the house of
the governor.
All the exteriors seem in such good preservation, that one could
almost fancy the knights had only departed to plant their victorious
banner on the Holy Sepulchre. They have in truth departed--departed
to a better home. Centuries have breathed upon their ashes,
scattered in all the regions of the earth. But their deeds have
been chronicled both in heaven and among men, and the heroes still
live in the admiration of posterity.
The churches, the house of the governor, and many other buildings,
are not nearly so well preserved inside as a first glance would lead
us to imagine. The reason of this is that the upper part of the
town is but thinly inhabited. A gloomy air of silence and vacancy
reigns around. We could wander about every where without being
stared at or annoyed by the vulgar and envious. Mr. Bartlett, the
Englishman, made a few sketches in his drawing-book of some of the
chief beauties, such as the Gothic gateways, the windows, balconies,
etc., and no inhabitant came to disturb him.
The pavement in the city, and even in the streets around the
fortifications, consists wholly of handsome slabs of stone, often of
different colours, like mosaic, and in such good preservation that
we could fancy the work had been but recently concluded. This is
certainly partly owing to the fact that no loaded wagon ever crushes
over these stones, for the use of vehicles is entirely unknown in
these parts; every thing is carried by horses, asses, or camels.
Cannons dating from the time of the Genoese still stand upon the
ramparts. The carriages of these guns are very clumsy, the wheels
consisting of round discs without spokes.
From our tower of observation we can form a perfect estimate of the
extent and strength of the fortifications. The city is completely
surrounded by three lofty walls, which seem to have been calculated
to last an eternity, for they still stand almost uninjured in all
their glory. In some places images of the Virgin, of the size of
life, are hewn out of the walls.
The neighbourhood of Rhodes is most charming, and almost resembles a
park. Many country houses lie scattered throughout this natural
garden. The vegetation is here no less luxuriant than in Smyrna.
The architecture of the houses already begins to assume a new
character. Many dwellings have towers attached, and the roofs are
flat, forming numerous terraces, which are all built of stone. Some
streets in the lower part of the town, inhabited chiefly by Jews,
are bordered with cannon-balls, and present a most peculiar
appearance.
I was also much struck with the costumes worn by the country-people,
who were dressed quite in the Swabian fashion. It was in vain that
I inquired the reason of this circumstance. The books we had with
us gave no information on the subject, and I could not ask the
natives through my ignorance of their language.
By three o'clock in the afternoon we were once more on board, and an
hour afterwards we sailed out into the open sea. To-day we saw
nothing further, except a high and lengthened mountain-range on the
Asiatic mainland. It was a branch of the Taurus. The highest peaks
glistened like silver in the evening light, enveloped in a garment
of snow.
May 23d.
To-day our organs of vision had a rest, for we were sailing on the
high seas. Late in the evening, however, the sailors descried the
mountains of Cyprus looming in the far distance like a misty cloud.
With my less practised eyes I could see nothing but the sunset at
sea--a phenomenon of which I had had a more exalted conception. The
rising and setting of the sun at sea is not nearly so striking a
spectacle as the same phenomenon in a rocky landscape. At sea the
sky is generally cloudless in the evening, and the sun gradually
sinks, without refraction of rays or prismatic play of colours, into
its ocean-bed, to pursue its unchanging course the next day. How
infinitely more grand is this spectacle when seen from the "Rigi
Kulm" in Switzerland! There it is really a spectacle, in
contemplating which we feel impelled to fall on our knees in
speechless adoration, and admire the wisdom of the Almighty in his
wondrous works.
May 24th.
On mounting to the deck this morning at five o'clock I could
distinguish the island of Cyprus, which looks uglier the nearer we
approach. Both the foreground and the mountain-peaks have an
uncomfortable barren air. At ten o'clock we entered the harbour of
Larnaka. The situation of this town is any thing but fine; the
country looks like an Arabian desert, and a few unfruitful date-
palms rise beside the roofless stone houses.
I should not have gone on shore at all, if Doctor Faaslanc, whose
acquaintance I had made at Constantinople, and who had been
appointed quarantine physician here four weeks before my departure,
had not come to fetch me. The streets of Larnaka are unpaved, so
that we were obliged literally to wade more than ankle-deep in sand
and dust. The houses are small, with irregular windows, sometimes
high and sometimes low, furnished with wooden grated shutters; and
the roofs are in the form of terraces. This style of building I
found to be universal throughout Syria.
Of a garden or a green place not a trace was to be seen. The sandy
expanse reaches to the foot of the mountains, which viewed from this
direction form an equally barren picture. Behind these mountains
the appearance of the landscape is said to be very fruitful; but I
did not penetrate into the interior, nor did I go to Nikosia, the
capital of the island, distant some twelve miles from Larnaka.
Doctor Faaslanc took me to his house, which had an appearance of
greater comfort than I had expected to find, for it consisted of two
spacious rooms which might almost have been termed halls. An
agreeable coolness reigned every where.
Neither stoves nor chimneys were to be seen, as winter is here
replaced by a very mild rainy season. The heat in summer is often
said to be insupportable, the temperature rising to more than 36
degrees Reaumur. To-day it reached 30 degrees in the sun.
We drank to my safe return to my country, in real old Cyprian wine.
Shall I ever see it again? I hope so, if my journey progresses as
favourably as it has begun. But Syria is a bad country, and the
climate is difficult to bear; yet with courage and perseverance for
my companions, I may look forward to the accomplishment of my task.
The good doctor seemed much annoyed that he had nothing to offer me
but Cyprian wine and a few German biscuits. At this early season
fruit is not to be had, and cherries do not flourish here because
the climate is too hot for them. In Smyrna I ate the last for this
year. When I re-embarked in the afternoon, Mr. Bartlett came with
the English consul, who wished, he said, to make the acquaintance of
a lady possessing sufficient courage to undertake so long and
perilous a journey by herself. His astonishment increased when he
was informed that I was an unpretending native of Vienna. The
consul was kind enough to offer me the use of his house if I
returned by way of Cyprus; he also inquired if he could give me some
letters of recommendation to the Syrian consuls. I was touched by
this hearty politeness on the part of a perfect stranger--an
Englishman moreover, a race on whom we are accustomed to look as
cold and exclusive!