CONSTANTINOPLE--CHANGES--TWO FIRES--VOYAGE TO GREECE--QUARANTINE AT
AEGINA--A DAY IN ATHENS--CALAMACHI--THE ISTHMUS--PATRAS--CORFU.
Little can be said of the passage from Odessa to Constantinople; we
continued out at sea and did not land anywhere. The distance is 420
miles. The ship belonged to the Russian government, it was named
Odessa, was of 260 horse power, and was handsome, clean, and neat.
In order that my parting with my dear friends, the Russians, might
not be too much regretted, one of them was so good at the end of the
passage as to behave in a manner that was far from polite. During
the last night which was very mild and warm, I went out of the close
cabin on to the deck, and placed myself not far from the compass-
box, where I soon began to sleep, wrapt in my mantle. One of the
sailors came, and giving me a kick with his foot, told me to leave
the place. I thanked him quietly for the delicate way in which he
expressed himself, and requesting him to leave me at peace,
continued to sleep.
Among the passengers were six English sailors, who had taken a new
ship to Odessa, and were returning home. I spoke with them several
times, and had soon quite won them. As they perceived that I was
without any companion, they asked me if I spoke enough Turkish to be
able to get what I wanted from the ship's people and porters. On my
answering that I did, they offered to manage everything for me if I
would go on shore with them. I willingly accepted their offer.
As we approached land a customs' officer came on board to examine
our luggage. In order to avoid delay I gave him some money. When
we landed I wanted to pay, but the English sailors would not allow
it; they said I had paid for the customs' officer, and it was
therefore their time to pay for the boat. I saw that I should only
have affronted them if I had pressed them further to receive the
money. They settled with the porter for me, and we parted good
friends. How different was the behaviour of these English sailors
from that of the three well-bred Russian gentlemen at Jalta!
The passage into the Bosphorus, as well as the objects of interest
in Constantinople, I have already described in my journey to the
Holy Land. I went immediately to my good friend Mrs. Balbiani; but,
to my regret, found that she was not in Constantinople; she had
given up her hotel. I was recommended to the hotel "Aux Quatre
Nations," kept by Madame Prust. She was a talkative French woman,
who was always singing the praises of her housekeeping, servants,
cookery, etc., in which, however, none of the travellers agreed with
her. She charged forty piasters (8s.), and put down a good round
sum in the bill for servants' fees and such like.
Since my last stay here a handsome new wooden bridge had been
erected over the Golden Horn, and the women did not seem to be so
thickly veiled as on my first visit to Constantinople. Many of them
wore such delicately woven veils that their faces could almost be
seen through them: others had only the forehead and chin covered,
and left their eyes, nose, and cheeks exposed.
The suburb of Pera looked very desolate. There had been a number of
fires, which were increased by two during my stay; they were called
"small," as by the first only a hundred and thirty shops, houses,
and cottages, and by the second, only thirty were burned to the
ground. They are accustomed to reckon the number destroyed by
thousands.
The first fire broke out in the evening as we were seated at table.
One of the guests offered to accompany me to see it, as he thought I
should be interested by the sight if I had not seen such a one
before. The scene of the fire was rather distant from our house,
but we had scarcely gone a hundred steps when we found ourselves in
a great crowd of people, who all carried paper lanterns, {330a} by
which the streets were lighted. Every one was shouting and rushing
wildly about; the inhabitants of the houses threw open their windows
and inquired of the passers by the extent of the danger, and gazed
with anxiety and trembling at the reflection of the flames in the
sky. Every now and then sounded the shrill cry of "Guarda! guarda!"
(take care) of the people, who carried small fire-engines {330b} and
buckets of water on their shoulders, and knocked everything over
that was in their way. Mounted and foot soldiers and watchmen
rushed about, and Pashas rode down with their attendants to urge the
people on in extinguishing the fire, and to render them assistance.
Unfortunately almost all these labours are fruitless. The fire
takes such hold of the wooden buildings painted with oil colours,
and spreads with such incredible rapidity that it is stopped only by
open spaces or gardens. One fire often destroys several thousand
houses. The unfortunate inhabitants have scarce time to save
themselves; those who live some distance off hastily pack their
effects together and hold themselves prepared for flight at any
moment. It may easily be supposed that thieves are not rare on such
occasions, and it too often happens that the few things the poor
people have saved are torn away from them in the bustle and
confusion.
The second fire broke out in the following night. Every one had
retired to sleep, but the fire-watch rushed through the street,
knocking with his iron-mounted staff at the doors of the houses and
waking the people. I sprang terrified out of bed, ran to the
window, and saw in the direction of the fire a faint red light in
the sky. In a few hours the noise and redness ceased. They have at
last begun to build stone houses, not only in Pera but also in
Constantinople.
I left Constantinople on the evening of the 7th of October, by the
French steamer Scamander, one hundred and sixty-horse power.
The passage from Constantinople to Smyrna, and through the Greek
Archipelago is described in my journey to the Holy Land, and I
therefore pass on at once to Greece.
I had been told, in Constantinople, that the quarantine was held in
the Piraeus (six English miles from Athens), and lasted only four
days, as the state of health in Turkey was perfectly satisfactory.
Instead of this, I learnt on the steamer that it was held at the
island of AEgina (sixteen English miles from Piraeus), and lasted
twelve days, not on account of the plague but of the cholera. For
the plague it lasts twenty days.
On the 10th of October we caught sight of the Grecian mainland.
Sailing near the coast, we saw on the lofty prominence of a rock
twelve large columns, the remains of the Temple of Minerva. Shortly
afterwards we came near the hill on which the beautiful Acropolis
stands. I gazed for a long time on all that was to be seen; the
statues of the Grecian heroes, the history of the country came back
to my mind; and I glowed with desire to set my foot on the land
which, from my earliest childhood, had appeared to me, after Rome
and Jerusalem, as the most interesting in the earth. How anxiously
I sought for the new town of Athens--it stands upon the same spot as
the old and famous one. Unfortunately, I did not see it, as it was
hidden from us by a hill. We turned into the Piraeus, on which a
new town has also been built, but only stopped to deliver up our
passports, and then sailed to AEgina.
It was already night when we arrived; a boat was quickly put out,
and we were conveyed to the quay near the quarantine station.
Neither the porters nor servants of this establishment were there to
help us, and we were obliged to carry our own baggage to the
building, where we were shown into empty rooms. We could not even
get a light. I had fortunately a wax taper with me, which I cut
into several pieces and gave to my fellow-passengers.
On the following morning I inquired about the regulations of the
quarantine--they were very bad and very dear. A small room, quite
empty, cost three drachmas (2s. 3d.) a-day; board, five drachmas
(3s. 9d.); very small separate portions, sixty or seventy leptas
(6d. or 7d.); the attendance, that is, the superintendence of the
guardian, two drachmas a-day; the supply of water, fifteen leptas
daily; the physician, a drachma; and another drachma on leaving, for
which he inspects the whole party, and examines the state of their
health. Several other things were to be had at a similar price, and
every article of furniture has to be hired.
I cannot understand how it is that the government pays so little
attention to institutions which are established for sanitary
purposes and which the poor cannot avoid. They must suffer more
privation here than at home; they cannot have any hot meals, for the
landlord, who is not restricted in his prices, charges five or six
times the value. Several artizans who had come by the vessel were
put into the same room with a servant-girl. These people had no hot
food the twelve days; they lived entirely upon bread, cheese, and
dried figs. The girl, after a few days, begged me to let her come
into my room, as the people had not behaved properly to her. In
what a position the poor girl would have been placed if there had
not happened to be a woman among the passengers, or if I had refused
to receive her!
Are such arrangements worthy of a public institution? Why are there
not a few rooms fitted up at the expense of government for the poor?
Why cannot they have a plain hot meal once in the day for a moderate
price? The poor surely suffer enough by not being able to earn
anything for so long a time, without being deprived of their hard
earnings in such a shameful manner!
On the second day the court-yard was opened, and we were permitted
to walk about in an inclosed space a hundred and fifty paces wide,
on the sea-shore. The view was very beautiful; the whole of the
Cyclades lay before us: small, mountainous islands, mostly
uninhabited and covered over with woods. Probably they were
formerly a part of the mainland, and were separated by some violent
convulsion of nature.
On the fourth day our range was extended, we were allowed to walk as
far as the hills surrounding the lazaretto under the care of a
guard. The remains of a temple stand upon these hills, fragments of
a wall, and a very much decayed column. The latter, which consisted
of a single piece of stone, was fluted, and, judging from the
circumference, had been very high. These ruins are said to be those
of the remarkably fine temple of Jupiter.
21st October. This was the day we were set at liberty. We had
ordered a small vessel the evening before which was to take us to
Athens early in the morning. But my fellow-travellers would insist
upon first celebrating their freedom at a tavern, and from this
reason it was 11 o'clock before we started. I availed myself of
this time to look about the town and its environs. It is very small
and contains no handsome buildings. The only remains of antiquity
which I found were traces of the floor of a room in Mosaic work of
coloured stones. From what I could see of the island of AEgina, it
appeared extremely barren and naked, and it does not show any
indications of having been once a flourishing seat of art and
commerce.
AEgina is a Greek island, about two square miles in extent, it was
formerly a separate state, and is said to have received the name of
AEgina from the daughter of AEsop. It is supposed that the first
money of Greece was coined in this island.
Our passage to the Piraeus occupied a long time. There was not a
breath of wind, and the sailors were obliged to row; we did not land
at our destination until nearly 8 in the evening. We were first
visited by the health-officer, who read through the certificates
which we brought from the quarantine very leisurely. There was
unfortunately nobody among us who was inclined to make it more
understandable to him by a few drachmas. Of course we could not
neglect going to the police-office; but it was already closed, in
consequence of which we dare not leave the town. I went into a
large fine-looking coffee-house to look for night quarters. I was
conducted to a room in which half of the window-panes were broken.
The attendant said this was of no consequence, it was only necessary
to close the shutters. In other respects the room looked very well
but I had scarcely laid down on the bed when certain animals
compelled me to take to flight. I laid down upon the sofa, which
was no better. Lastly, I tried an easy chair, in which I passed the
night, not in the most agreeable position.
I had already been told in AEgina of the great dirtiness and number
of vermin prevalent in the Piraean inns, and had been warned against
passing a night there; but what was to be done? for we could not
venture to leave the town without permission of the police.
22nd October. The distance of the harbour of the Piraeus from
Athens is thirteen stadia, or six English miles. The road leads
through olive-plantations and between barren hills. The Acropolis
remains continually in sight; the town of Athens does not appear
till afterwards. I had intended to remain eight days in Athens, in
order to see all the monuments and remarkable places of the town and
environs leisurely; but I had scarcely got out of the carriage when
I heard the news of the breaking out of the Vienna revolution of
October.
I had heard of the Paris revolution of the 24th February while in
Bombay; that of March in Germany, at Baghdad; and the other
political disturbances while at Tebris, Tiflis, and other places.
No news had astonished me so much in my whole life as that from
Vienna. My comfortable, peace-loving Austrians, and an overthrow of
the government! I thought the statement so doubtful, that I could
not give full credit to the verbal information of the Resident at
Baghdad; he was obliged to show it to me in black and white in the
newspaper to convince me. The affair of March so delighted and
inspirited me that I felt proud of being an Austrian. The later
occurrences of May, however, cooled my enthusiasm; and that of the
6th of October completely filled me with sadness and dejection. No
overthrow of a state ever began so promisingly. It would have stood
alone in history if the people had gone on in the spirit of the
March movement; and then to end in such a way! I was so grieved and
upset by the result of the 6th of October, that I lost all enjoyment
of everything. Moreover, I knew my friends were in Vienna, and I
had heard nothing from them. I should have hastened there
immediately if there had been an opportunity of doing so; but I was
obliged to wait till the next day, as the steamer did not start till
then. I made arrangements to go by it, and then took a cicerone to
show me all the objects of interest in the town, more for diversion
than pleasure.
My fate had been very unfortunate; twelve days I had patiently
endured being shut up in the lazaretto at AEgina, in order to be
able to see the classic country, and now I was so anxious to leave
it that I had neither rest nor peace.
Athens, the capital of the former State of Attica, is said to have
been founded in the year 1300, fourteen hundred years before Christ,
by Cecrops, from whom it then took the name of Cecropia, which in
after-times was retained only by the castle: under Eriktonius the
town was named "Athens." The original town stood upon a rock in the
centre of a plain, which was afterwards covered with buildings; the
upper part was called the "Acropolis," the lower the "Katopolis;"
only a part of the fortress, the famous Acropolis, remains on the
mountain, where the principal works of art of Athens stand. The
principal feature was the temple of Minerva, or the Parthenon; even
its ruins excite the astonishment of the world. The building is
said to have been 215 feet long, ninety-seven feet broad, and
seventy feet high; here stood the statue of Minerva, by Phidias.
This masterly work was executed in gold and ivory; its height was
forty-six feet, and it is said to have weighed more than 2000
pounds. Fifty-five columns of the entrance to the temple still
remain, as well as parts of enormous blocks of marble which rest
upon them, and belonged to the arches and roof.
This temple was destroyed by the Persians, and was again restored
with greater beauty by Pericles, about 440 years after the birth of
Christ.
There are some fine remains of the temples of Minerva and Neptune,
and the extent of the amphitheatre can still be seen; there is but
little of the theatre of Bacchus remaining.
Outside the Acropolis stands the temple of Theseus and that of
Jupiter Olympus; the one on the north, the other on the south side.
The former is in the Doric style, and is surrounded by thirty-six
fine columns. On the metope are represented the deeds of Theseus in
beautiful reliefs. The interior of the temple is full of fine
sculptures, epitaphs, and other works in stone, most of which belong
to the other temples, but are collected here. Outside the temple
stand several marble seats which have been brought from the
neighbouring Areopagus, the former place of assembly for the
patricians. Of the Areopagus itself nothing more is to be seen than
a chamber cut out of the rock, to which similarly cut steps lead.
Of the temple of Jupiter Olympus so much of the foundation-walls
still remain as to show what its size was; there are also sixteen
beautiful columns, fifty-eight feet in height. This temple, which
was completed by Hadrian, is said to have exceeded in beauty and
magnificence all the buildings of Athens. The exterior was
decorated by one hundred and twenty fluted columns six feet in
diameter and fifty-nine in height. The gold and ivory statue of
Jupiter was, like that of Minerva, the production of the masterly
hand of Phidias. All the temples and buildings were of pure white
marble.
Not far from the Areopagus is the Pnyx, where the free people of
Athens met in council. Of this nothing more remains than the
rostrum, hewn in the rock, and the seat of the scribe. What
feelings agitate the mind when it is remembered what men have stood
there and spoke from that spot!
It was with sadness that I examined the cave near here where
Socrates was imprisoned and poisoned. Above this memorable grotto
stands a plain monument erected in memory of Philopapoe.
The Turks surrounded the Acropolis with a broad wall, in the
building of which they made use of many fragments of columns and
other remains of the most beautiful temples.
No remnants of antiquity are to be seen in the old town of Athens
except the Tower of the Winds, or, as others call it, Diogenes'
Lantern, a small temple in the form of an octagon, covered with fine
sculpture; also the monument of Lysicrates. This consists of a
pedestal, some columns, and a dome in the Corinthian style.
The chapel Maria Maggiore, is said to have been built by the
Venetians, 700 years after Christ. Its greatest peculiarity is that
it was the first Christian church in Athens.
The view of the whole country from the Acropolis is also very
interesting; there can be seen the Hymetos, the Pentelikon, towards
Eleusis, Marathon, Phylae, and Dekelea, the harbour, the sea, and
the course of the Ilissus.
Athens contains a considerable number of houses, most of which are,
however, small and unimportant; the beautiful country-houses, on the
contrary, surrounded by tasty gardens, have a very agreeable
appearance.
The small observatory was built by Baron Sina, the well-known banker
in Vienna, who is by birth a Greek.
The royal palace, which is of modern date, is built of brilliant
white marble, in the form of a large quadrangle. On two sides,
which occupy a large part of the breadth of the wings, under a
peristyle, is a kind of small porch which rests upon pillars. The
one approach is for the ministers, ambassadors, etc., the other for
the royal family. With the exception of these two peristyles, the
whole building is very tasteless, and has not the least ornament;
the windows are in the ordinary form; and the high large walls
appear so naked, bare, and flat, that even the dazzling white of the
beautiful marble produces no effect; and it is only on a close
approach that it can be seen what a costly material has been
employed in the building.
I regretted having seen this palace, especially opposite to the
Acropolis, on a spot which has made its works of art as classic as
its heroes.
The palace is surrounded by a rather pretty though recently-formed
garden. In the front stand a few palms, which have been brought
from Syria, but they bear no fruit. The country is otherwise barren
and naked.
The marble of which this palace is built, as well as the temples and
other buildings on the Acropolis, is obtained from the quarries of
the neighbouring mountain, Pentelikon, where the quantity of this
beautiful stone is so great that whole towns might be built of it.
It was Sunday, and the weather was very fine, {335} to which I was
indebted for seeing all the fashionable world of Athens, and even
the Court, in the open promenade. This place is a plain avenue, at
the end of which a wooden pavilion is erected. It is not decorated
by either lawns or flower-beds. The military bands play every
Sunday from five to six. The King rides or drives with his Queen to
this place to show himself to the people. This time he came in an
open carriage with four horses, and stopped to hear several pieces
of music. He was in Greek costume; the Queen wore an ordinary
French dress.
The Greek or rather Albanian costume is one of the handsomest there
is. The men wear full frocks, made of white perkal, which reach
from the hips to the knees, buskins from the knee to the feet, and
shoes generally of red leather. A close-fitting vest of coloured
silk without arms, over a silk shirt, and over this another close-
fitting spencer of fine red, blue, or brown cloth, which is fastened
only at the waist by a few buttons or a narrow band, and lays open
at the top. The sleeves of the spencer are slit up, and are either
left loose or slightly held together by some cords round the wrists;
the collar of the shirt is a little turned over. The vest and
spencer are tastily ornamented with cords, tassels, spangles and
buttons of gold, silver or silk, according to the means of the
wearer. The material, colour and ornament of the Zaruchi correspond
with those of the spencer and vest. A dagger is generally worn in
the girdle, together with a pair of pistols. The head-dress is a
red fez, with a blue tassel.
The Greek dress is, as far as I saw, less worn by the women, and
even then much of its originality is lost. The principal part of
the dress consists of a French garment, which is open at the breast,
over this a close spencer is drawn on, which is also open, and the
sleeves wide and rather shorter than those of the gown. The front
edges of the gown and spencer are trimmed with gold lace. The women
and girls wear on their head a very small fez, which is bound round
with rose or other coloured crape.
24th October. I left Athens by the small steamer Baron Kubeck,
seventy-horse power, and went as far as Calamachi (twenty-eight
miles). Here I had to leave the ship and cross the Isthmus, three
English miles broad. At Lutrachi we went on board another vessel.
During the passage to Calamachi, which lasts only a few hours, the
little town of Megara is seen upon a barren hill.
Nothing is more unpleasant in travelling than changing the
conveyance, especially when it is a good one, and you can only lose
by doing so. We were in this situation. Herr Leitenberg was one of
the best and most attentive of all captains that I had ever met with
in my travels, and we were all sorry to have to leave him and his
ship. Even in Calamachi, where we remained this day and the
following, as the ship which was to carry us on from Lutrachi did
not arrive, on account of contrary winds, until the 25th, he
attended to us with the greatest politeness.
The village of Calamachi offers but little of interest, the few
houses have only been erected since the steamers plied, and the
tolerably high mountains on which it lies are for the most part
barren, or grown over with low brambles. We took several walks on
the Isthmus, and ascended minor heights, from whence on one side is
seen the gulf of Lepanto, and on the other the AEgean sea. In front
of us stood the large mountain, Akrokorinth, rising high above all
its companions. Its summit is embellished by a well-preserved
fortification, which is called the remains of the Castle of
Akrokorinth, and was used by the Turks in the last war as a
fortress. The formerly world-famous city of Corinth, after which
all the fittings of luxury and sumptuousness in the interior of
palaces were named, and which gave the name to a distinct order of
architecture, is reduced to a small town with scarcely a thousand
inhabitants, and lies at the foot of the mountain, in the midst of
fields and vineyards. It owes the whole of its present celebrity to
its small dried grapes, called currants.
It is said that no town of Greece had so many beautiful statues of
stone and marble as Corinth. It was upon this isthmus, which
consists of a narrow ridge of mountains, and is covered with dense
fig-groves, in which stood a beautiful temple of Neptune, were held
the various Isthmian games.
How greatly a people or a country may degenerate! The Grecian
people, at one time the first in the world, are now the furthest
behind! I was told by everyone that in Greece it was neither safe
to trust myself with a guide nor to wander about alone, as I had
done in other countries; indeed, I was warned here in Calamachi not
to go too far from the harbour, and to return before the dusk of the
evening.
26th October. We did not start from Lutrachi until towards noon, by
the steamer Hellenos, of one hundred and twenty-horse power.
We anchored for a few hours in the evening near Vostizza, the
ancient AEgion, now an unimportant village, at the foot of a
mountain.
27th October, Patras. That portion of Greece which I had already
seen was neither rich in beauty, well cultivated, nor thickly
inhabited. Here were, at least, plains and hills covered with
meadows, fields, and vineyards. The town, on the Gulf of Lepanto,
was formerly an important place of trade; and before the breaking
out of the Greek revolution in 1821, contained 20,000 inhabitants;
it has now only 7,000. The town is defended by three fortresses,
one of which stands upon a hill, and two at the entrance of the
harbour. The town is neither handsome nor clean, and the streets
are narrow. The high mountains pleased me better; and their chain
can be followed for a considerable distance.
I saw grapes here whose beauty and size induced me to buy some; but
I found them so hard, dry, and tasteless, that I did not even
venture to give them to a sailor, but threw them into the sea.
28th October. Corfu is the largest of the Ionian Islands, which
formerly belonged to Greece, and lie at the entrance to the Adriatic
sea. Corfu, the ancient Corcyra, has been subject to England since
1815.
The town of Corfu is situated in a more beautiful and fertile
country than Patras, and is far larger. It contains 18,000
inhabitants. Adjoining the town are two romantic peaks of rock,
with strong fortified works, upon which stand the telegraph and the
lighthouse. Both are surrounded by artificial ditches, with draw-
bridges leading across. The immediate environs of the town, as well
as the whole island, are rich in delightful groves of olive and
orange trees.
The town contains handsome houses and streets, with the exception of
the bye-streets, which are remarkably crooked and not very clean.
At the entrance of the town stands a large covered stone hall, in
which on one side are the stalls of the butchers; on the other,
those of the fishermen. In the open space in front are exposed the
choicest vegetables and most beautiful fruits. The theatre presents
a very pretty appearance; it would seem, from the sculptures upon
it, to have been used for a church. The principal square is large
and handsome; it is intersected by several avenues, and one side
faces the sea. The palace of the English governor stands here; a
fine building in the Grecian-Italian style.
The famous and much-visited church of St. Spiridion is but small; it
contains many oil-paintings, some are good specimens of the old
Italian School. In a small dark chapel at the furthest end of the
church lies, in a silver sarcophagus, the body of St. Spiridion, who
is held in great veneration by the Ionians. The chapel is always
full of devotees who tenderly kiss the sarcophagus.
On the 29th of October we saw the low mountain-country of Dalmatia,
and on the 30th I entered Trieste, whence I hastened on to Vienna
the day following. I was obliged to pass several days in the
greatest anxiety before the town, as it had been taken by storm on
the last day of October and was not opened until the 4th of
November. It was not until I had seen that all my relations were
safe that I was able to return thanks with a grateful heart to the
good Providence which, in all my dangers and troubles, had so
remarkably protected and preserved me in health and strength. With
equal gratitude I remembered those people who had treated me with
such kindness, had so disinterestedly received me, and through whose
help I had been enabled to overcome the frequent great hardships and
difficulties I encountered.
From my readers I hope for a charitable judgment upon my book, which
in simple language describes what I have experienced, seen and felt,
and makes no higher pretension than that of being sincere and
trustworthy.
NOTES.
{9} The sextant is a mathematical instrument by which the different
degrees of longitude and latitude are determined, and the hour
known. The chronometers also are set by it. In order to find the
latitude the ship is in, an observation is taken at noon, but only
when the sun shines. This last is absolutely necessary, since it is
from the shadow cast upon the figures of the instrument that the
reckoning is made. The longitude can be determined both morning and
afternoon, as the sun, in this case, is not necessary.
{11} The heat does not require to be very great in order to melt the
pitch in a ship's seams. I have seen it become soft, and form
bladders, when the thermometer stood at 81.5 in the sun.
{12} Every four hours the state of the wind, how many miles the
vessel has made, in fact, every occurrence, is noted down in the log
with great exactitude. The captain is obliged to show this book to
the owners of the ship at the conclusion of the voyage.
{13} Some years ago a sailor made an attempt to scale the Sugarloaf.
He succeeded in attaining the summit, but never came down again.
Most likely he made a false step and was precipitated into the sea.
{14} The worthy Lallemand family received her, a few days after her
arrival into their house.
{23a} The princess was three weeks old.
{23b} Rockets and small fireworks are always let off at every
religious festival, some before the church, and others at a short
distance from it. The most ludicrous part of the affair is, that
this is always done in open day.
{27} They are differently paid, according to what they can do. The
usual hire of a maid-servant is from ten to twelve shillings per
month; for a cook, twenty-four to forty; for a nurse, thirty-eight
to forty; for a skilful labourer, fifty to seventy.
{34a} Truppa is a term used to designate ten mules driven by a
negro; in most instances a number of truppas are joined together,
and often make up teams or caravans of 100 or 200 mules. Everything
in the Brazils is conveyed upon mules.
{34b} A cord, with a noose at the end; the native inhabitants of
South America use it so skilfully that they catch the most savage
animals with it.
{38} Fazenda is equivalent to our word "plantation."
{39} Kabi is African grass, which is planted all over the Brazils,
as grass never grows there of its own accord. It is very high and
reed-like.
{40} Rost (roaster) is employed to denote partly a strip of low
brushwood, partly the place where a wood has stood previously to
being burnt.
{42} All through Brazil, carna secca is one of the principal
articles of food, both for whites and blacks. It comes from Buenos
Ayres, and consists of beef cut into long, thin, broad stripes,
salted and dried in the open air.
{47} Under the term "whites," are included not only those Europeans
who have lately immigrated, but also the Portuguese, who have been
settled in the country for centuries.
{50} This wholesome plant grows very commonly in the Brazils.
{53} In the southern hemisphere the seasons, as regards the months,
are exactly the contrary to what they are in the northern. For
instance, when it is winter on one side of the Equator it is summer
on the other, etc.
{55} Maroon negroes are those negroes who have run away from their
masters. They generally collect in large bands, and retire into the
recesses of the virgin forests, whence, however, they often emerge
to steal and plunder; their depredations are not unfrequently
accompanied by murder.
{59} The Rio Plata is one of the largest rivers in Brazil.
{60} Other captains assured me that it was only possible for men-of-
war to pass through the Straits of Magellan, as the passage requires
a great number of hands. Every evening the ship must be brought to
an anchor, and the crew must constantly be in readiness to trim or
reef the sails, on account of the various winds which are always
springing up.
{62} The glass sank in the day-time to 48 and 50 degrees, and at
night to 28 degrees below Zero.
{73} All the Indians are Christians (Protestants), but I fear only
in name.
{76} Elephantiasis, in this country, generally shows itself in the
feet, and extends up as far as the calves of the legs. These
portions of the body, when so affected, are greatly swollen, and
covered with scurf and blotches, so that they really might be taken
for those of an elephant.
{78} I purposely abstain from mentioning the names of any of the
gentlemen at Tahiti, a piece of reserve which I think entitles me to
their thanks.
{86} Up to the present period, Tahiti has produced nothing for
exportation, and therefore all vessels have to clear out in ballast.
The island is important to the French, as a port where their ships
in the Pacific may stop and refit.
{91a} The expense of living at an hotel in Macao, Victoria, and
Canton is from four to six dollars a-day (16s. to 24s.).
{91b} Carl Gutzlaff was born on the 8th of July, 1803, at Pyritz, in
Pomerania. As a boy he was distinguished for his piety and
extraordinary talent. His parents apprenticed him to a leather-
seller. In this capacity he was noted for his industry, although he
was far from contented with his position; and, in the year 1821, he
found an opportunity of presenting a poem, in which he expressed his
sentiments and wishes, to the King of Prussia. The king recognised
the talent of the struggling youth, and opened to him a career in
accordance with his inclination. In the year 1827 he proceeded as a
missionary to Batavia, and, at a later period, to Bintang, where he
applied himself with such assiduity to the study of Chinese, that in
the space of two years he knew it well enough to preach in it. In
December, 1831, he went to Macao, where he established a school for
Chinese children, and commenced his translation of the Bible into
Chinese. He founded, in conjunction with Morrison, a Society for
the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge in China, and edited a monthly
Chinese magazine, in which he endeavoured to interest the people
upon history, geography, and literature. In 1832 and 1833 he
penetrated as far as the province of Fo-Kien.
Gutzlaff's Travels have made us acquainted with several very
important facts connected with the different Chinese dialects, and
are also of great worth to other scientific points of view. They
are especially useful in enabling us to form a correct opinion as to
the merits of the works that have lately appeared on China; and
everyone must acknowledge his rare talent, must value his immovable
fixedness of purpose, and must admire his zealous perseverance in
the cause of science, and his unshaken belief in the principles of
his religion. (Dr. Gutzlaff died in November, 1851).
{93} All large vessels have two painted eyes let into the prow; with
these, as the Chinese believe, they are better able to find their
way.
{95} There is only one mail a month from Europe.
{101} When they copy a picture they divide it, like our own artists,
into squares.
{102a} A pikul of raw opium is worth about 600 dollars (120 pounds).
{102b} I had more especially reason to fear this latter
circumstance, as the people had given out that on the 12th or 13th
of August, at the latest, there would be a revolution, in which all
the Europeans would lose their lives. My state of mind may easily
be imagined, left, as I was, entirely alone with the Chinese
servants.
{103} One of the ports which were opened to the English in 1842.
{104} His costume was composed of a wide over-garment reaching to
the knees, and furnished with flowing arms, and, underneath this,
trousers of white silk. The upper garment was made of brocade of
very vivid colours and an extraordinary pattern. On his breast he
wore two birds as marks of his rank, and a necklace of precious
stones. His shoes, composed of black silk, were turned up into
points at the extremities. On his head he wore a conical velvet hat
with a gilt button.
{105} The reader must know that these animals are looked upon as
particularly sacred.
{108} The town of Canton is nine miles in circumference. It is the
residence of a Viceroy, and divided by walls into the Chinese and
the Tartar town. The population of the town itself is reckoned at
400,000, while it is calculated that 60,000 persons live in the
boats and schampans, and about 200,000 in the immediate vicinity.
The number of Europeans settled here is about 200.
{110} The Chinese adopt white for mourning.
{112} Noble Chinese ladies pass a much more secluded life than
Eastern women. They are allowed to visit one another very seldom,
and that only in well-closed litters. They have neither public
baths nor gardens in which they can meet.
{114} The leaves of this gathering are plucked with the greatest
care by children and young people, who are provided with gloves and
are bound to pick every leaf separately.
{116} 173 dollars the chief cabin, 117 the second (34 pounds 12s.
and 23 pounds 8s.)
{118} These steamers carry the mails, and make the voyage from
Canton to Calcutta once a month, touching at Singapore on their way.
{120a} Horses cannot be bred here; they have all to be imported.
{120b} The East India Company, to which the island belongs, have a
governor and English troops here.
{125} The mangostan is unanimously pronounced the finest fruit in
the world.
{128} One of the four had been removed from the first cabin, because
it was asserted that he was somewhat cracked, and did not always
know what he said or did.
{150} The finest and most costly muslin is manufactured in the
province of Dacca, and costs two rupees (4s.), or even two rupees
and a half the ell.
{153} The hurgila, a kind of stork, that eats dead bodies, and is
frequently to be seen near the rivers in India.
{158a} At the period of my visit there were about 782 of them.
{158b} Rajmahal was, in the seventeenth century, the capital of
Bengal.
{160a} Monghyr is termed the Birmingham of India, on account of its
extensive manufactories of cutlery and weapons. Its population is
about 30,000 souls.
{160b} Patna is the capital of the province of "Bechar," and was
once celebrated for the number of its Buddhist temples. Near Patna
was situated the most famous town of ancient India, namely,
"Parlibothra." Patna contains a great many cotton and a few opium
factories.
{161} In all Indian, Mahomedan, and in fact all countries which are
not Christian, it is a very difficult task to obtain anything like
an exact calculation of the number of inhabitants, as nothing is
more hateful to the population than such computations.
{162} I landed with two travellers at Patna, and rode on to
Deinapore in the evening, where our steamer anchored for the night.
{170} If a Hindoo has no son, he adopts one of his relations, in
order that he may fulfil the duties of a son at the funeral of his
adoptive father.
{173} The dislike which the Hindoos evince towards the Europeans, is
chiefly in consequence of the latter showing no honour to the cow,
of their eating ox-flesh, and drinking brandy; and that they spit in
their houses, and even in the temples, and wash their mouths with
their fingers, etc. They call the Europeans "Parangi." This
disrespect is said to make the Hindoos dislike the Christian
religion.
{177} Many of the more recent Indian towns were built by the
Mongolians, or were so much altered by them that they altogether
lost their original character. India was conquered by the
Mongolians as early as the tenth century.
{183} At the time of its greatest prosperity it had 2,000,000
inhabitants.
{185} Some writers describe this colossal crystal as being twenty-
five feet long.
{190} If these two towers did belong to a mosque, why were they
built of such different sizes?
{193} The cheprasses are servants of the English government. They
wear red cloth scarfs, and a brass plate on the shoulders, with the
name of the town to which they belong engraved upon it. Each of the
higher English officials are allowed to have one or more of these
people in their service. The people consider them much superior to
the ordinary servants.
{200} Children are generally considered as impure until the ninth
year, and are therefore not subject to the laws of their religion.
{204} The god Vishnu is represented as a tortoise.
{209} Although only the beginning of spring, the temperature rose
during the day as high as 95-99 degrees Fah.
{212a} Mundsch is the royal tutor, writer, or interpreter.
{212b} It is well known that saltpetre produces a considerable
reduction of temperature.
{213} Indor lies 2,000 feet above the level of the sea.
{225} Monsoons are the periodical winds which blow during one-half
the year from east to west, during the other half from west to east.
{226} The Black Town is that part of the town in which the poorer
classes of inhabitants reside. That neither beauty nor cleanliness
are to be sought there, is a matter of course.
{227} There are in all only 6,000 Parsees in the island of Bombay.
{228} And yet Bombay is the principal seat of the Fire-worshippers.
{268} This is an error: M. Botta made the first attempt to excavate
the Ninevite remains at Khorsabad. Mr. Layard had, moreover,
commenced his excavations before he received the countenance of the
British Museum authorities. See "Nineveh--the Buried City of the
East," one of the volumes of the "National Illustrated Library," for
the rectification of this and other errors in Madame Pfeiffer's
account.
{270} The manuscripts of the journey through Hindostan as far as
Mosul miscarried for more than a year and a half. I gave them up as
lost. This was the cause of the delay in the publication of my
"Journey round the world."
{279} I had picked up enough of the language between here and Mosul
to understand this much.
{287} Mela is the name of the Indian religious festivals at which
thousands of people assemble. The missionaries frequently travel
hundreds of miles to them in order to preach to the people.
{305} Tradition says that the country about Erivan is that part of
the earth which was first of all peopled. Noah and his family dwelt
here, both before and after the deluge; the Garden of Eden is also
said to have been situated here. Erivan was formerly called Terva,
and was the chief city of Armenia. Not far from Erivan lies the
chief sacred relic of the Armenian Christians--the cloister Ecs-
miazim. The church is simple in construction; the pillars, seventy-
three feet high, consist of blocks of stone joined together. In the
Treasury were, formerly, two of the nails with which Christ was
crucified, the lance with which he was stabbed in the side, and,
lastly, a seamless garment of Christ. It is asserted that in the
centre of the church is the spot where Noah, after his delivery,
erected an altar and offered sacrifice. Besides these, the church
is in the possession of innumerable important relics.
{308} This is carried to such an extent that if a traveller has his
horses already put to, and is in the carriage, and an officer
arrives, the horses are taken off and given to the latter.
{309} Georgia was called Iberia by the ancients. Formerly, this
country extended from Tauris and Erzerum, as far as the Tanais, and
was called Albania. It is a country of mountains. The river Kurry,
also called Cyrus, flows through the midst. On this river the
famous conqueror of Persia, Cyrus, was exposed in his childhood.
Tiflis was formerly one of the finest towns of Persia.
{312} His wives I dare not speak of, as the Mussulmen consider this
an affront.
{314} The River Ribon, also called Rione, is considered to be one of
the four rivers of Paradise, and was known by the name of Pison.
Its waters were formerly held sacred. On account of the number of
trunks of trees, it is unnavigable for large ships.
{320a} The Circassians are so wild and warlike that no one dare
venture into the interior of the country. Little is known of their
habits, customs, or religion. Bordering on Circassia are the
Atkans, who inhabit the coast country between Mingrelia and
Circassia, and are also wild and given to plunder.
{320b} Large plains covered with short grass.
{321} Mithridates lived in Pantikapaum. The hill at Kertsch is
called to this day "Mithridates' Seat." During the excavations in
it, which have been made since 1832, many remains were found, such
as funeral urns, implements of sacrifice, Grecian inscriptions,
handsome figures, and groups.
{330a} Constantinople is not lighted--whoever goes out without a
lantern is considered suspicious, and taken to the next watch-house.
{330b} The streets of Constantinople are narrow, full of holes, and
uneven, so that carriages cannot be taken everywhere and people are
obliged to manage with small fire-engines carried by four men.
{335} Here, where I arrived about four weeks after leaving Odessa,
the sun appeared as hot as with us in July. The vegetation was
greatly in want of rain, and the leaves were almost dying from the
heat; while in Odessa they were already killed by the cold.