Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB
[graphic]

have travelled another day thirty-six miles, and am still in the mountains, having scarcely seen a tree the whole way; the road lay over a series of gentle hills and long valleys bounded on either side by high mountains, covered with snow, their summits of marble and of a porous weatherbeaten limestone, stratified and cavernous. The long plain of Dumbári-ovasy (the Buffalo-plain) has several villages along its line, placed on the declivity of its bounding hills, and all known by the general name of Dumbári; we passed through one, and I inquired for ruins, but none were to be heard of. I rode to the burial-ground, as the best index of the age of the neighbouring places, but no "old stones" were to be found there. I noticed a number of newlyformed graves, two then open ready for the dead; and on turning round, saw assembled a multitude of people advancing towards me; as they approached the graves they paused to pray, setting down two biers. They probably formed the whole population of the place, perhaps with the addition of friends from the neighbouring villages. I soon learned that the plague had been some time in the valley, and that the persons whose bodies were now brought for burial had died that morning. Hearing this I did not cross over to another village opposite, although I understand several relics of an ancient town exist there. The next burial-ground we passed had also a long row of newlyformed graves. The plague had visited Sandlookeé, the town we had passed at the head of the valley two months before; finding however, on my approach to this place (Catchíburloo), that no case had occurred here for a month, I have not thought it necessary to pitch my tent, allowing my servant, who is rather an alarmist, to ride forward and inquire into the state of the village.

Without discussing the causes of the disease, I will notice the seasons and situations in which I meet with it. The country I have passed is certainly from five to six thou

[graphic]

sand feet above the sea, the first part of the road being by no means damp or swampy. The whole country is very thinly inhabited, and has at this season no vegetation, for the winter is not yet over; the ground each morning is covered with white frost, and a sharp easterly wind prevails. I have seen no part of Asia Minor more cleanly, or where the streets are freer from animal remains. The earth is a porous linestone, and the water seems excellent everywhere. I have remarked the bread for its peculiar goodness; it is made wholly of wheaten flour; the pelaf is here, as in other parts, the general food. On entering the first village, where I found the plague raging, I noticed to my servant. that I thought it unlikely we should find ruins there, for the houses appeared built in the fields, the streets had spaces. of grass, and each house was detached; the whole village standing on the gentle slope of the hill, with no rivers or water in sight.

While waiting for horses this morning, I climbed up the rock in the town to see the lake anciently called Ascania, and its scenery, which is very beautiful. Whilst contemplating the view, looking down upon the village just under me, I saw twenty or thirty people assembled there. From a house near to the one I had occupied, they brought out a body, and carried it to the grave. They buried it without coffin, and I observed the body bend when lowered into the grave; this might have been caused by the washing in warm water which took place at the door of the house. The man had died in the night, and I was not sorry to see our horses loading and at the door, where I found my servant in great alarm, and anxious to escape from the town.

1

120

CHAPTER VI.

PISIDIA.

JOURNEY TO SPARTA.-RECEPTION OF A GOVERNOR AT HIS PROVINCE. -HONESTY OF THE PEOPLE. SINGULAR PASS OF THE MOUNTAINS. —ALAYSOÓN.-RUINS OF SAGALASSUS.—NATURAL HISTORY.

My maps are very incorrect as to the direction of the lake and town of Boodoór. I noticed the surrounding localities on my way to Sparta, which lay to the south-east, over a range of limestone mountains variously acted upon by volcanic heat; some parts cracked into small atoms, others split into slabs like flagstones, having a wavy surface, as if caused by water, similar to the stones in the Weald of Sussex: a great portion is broken into flakes resembling slaked lime, and there are many hills of sand; washed stones also of all kinds, with much volcanic production, are scattered around. The valley of Sparta is beautiful compared with the country through which I have lately passed; the season here is a degree forwarder, and the almond-trees are just coming into bloom; at Smyrna, and on the western coast, two months since they were nearly out of blossom. No other vegetation is yet bursting, but the walnuts and magnificent planes must be beautiful in their season. I have been much annoyed by travelling in advance of a Governor of this district, whose Tartar or courier has just preceded me, securing thirty-four horses; and until they were sup

plied I could not have mine; but after a few hours' delay I have always obtained them. On entering this valley we found thirty or forty of the principal inhabitants waiting the arrival of their new Governor, to escort him across the plain, about three miles, to the town. Among the group of full-dressed Turks sitting on the ground, with their gailycaparisoned horses feeding by their sides, were about a hundred young lambs and kids, which on the first appearance of the cavalcade were to be slaughtered, and presented to the Governor, each by its owner, with a view to secure the favour of the new despot.

The town of Sparta is better built than any I have before seen in this country, perhaps owing to the use of stone in the construction of the houses; but it is the stone as washed down the hills, and not hewn; and an inner plastering of mud is added to fill up the crevices. Many of the houses have large gardens filled with trees, which give the town the appearance of a wood. Streams of water run through most of the streets, and the town being on the declivity of the mountain, there are many hills erected upon them. I lodged about a mile up one of these rivers, at the house of the owner of a mill, a man of considerable property, quite a character; having been a slave some years in Moscow, he fancied he had seen all Europe, and that England and France were parts of Russia; indeed I find that this people generally know no distinction between the various European nations.

Few traces of antiquity are found here: from a rich Corinthian cornice I copied an inscription, which was evidently of a later date than the work of the frieze.

I had great difficulty in obtaining horses, owing to a Pasha passing through Sparta to Adalia; but after a delay of three hours, by half-past nine o'clock I was on my way to Alaysoón. I notice the following incidents as illustra ting the character of the people. About three miles from the

G

town my servant found that his greatcoat had fallen from his horse; riding back for two miles, he saw a poor man bringing wood and charcoal from the hills upon asses. On asking him if he had seen the coat, he said that he had found it, and had taken it to a water-mill on the roadside, having shown it to all the persons he met, that they might assist in finding its owner; on offering him money, he refused it, saying with great simplicity that the coat was not his, and that it was quite safe with the miller. My servant then rode to the house of the miller, who immediately gave. it up, he also refusing to receive any reward, and saying that he should have hung it up at the door, had he not been about to go down to the town. The honesty perhaps may not be surprising, but the refusal of money is certainly a trait of character which has not been assigned to the Turks.

The road to Alaysoón was most singular. For eight or nine miles it lay up the bed of the river, on each side of which the mountains rose abruptly. The ravine was at first monotonous, but afterwards assumed a bold and highly interesting character: the rocks are generally of marble, and some of common limestone, with veins of marble running through them in all directions; the whole of the mountains are stratified, and thrown about in the wildest manner. But the most singular features in this district are the mountains of volcanic dust, which I saw at ten miles' distance, looking as if they were smoking; this appearance being caused by the sand, which with every little wind is blown into clouds, and carried into the air and along the valleys. Out of these hills rise jagged points of marble rocks, each of which forms a nucleus of the drifting sand. This dust occasionally almost blinded us; and I observe that the people ride with their faces covered with handkerchiefs, or wait till the cloud of dust has passed. The whole of this light sand or dust is tufa, the dust of the pumice-stone, and a volcanic production; the decomposed lime has in many parts mixed with

« ZurückWeiter »