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tinually showed itself in such an attractive variety of views, that I was often tempted to stop and turn to retrace my steps over the country, which lay spread out like a map. The predicted destruction of the port of Smyrna, by the promontory formed from the deposit which the river Hermus brings down, is strongly confirmed by the view from this point. Time alone is required to complete the work, and this is constant and irresistible in its effect. The villages, in which are the country residences of the merchants of Smyrna, furnish conspicuous points of beauty in this extensive landscape. When about twelve miles on our route, we halted for half an hour in a valley considerably elevated amidst the hills. The spot was beautiful, and surrounded by well-grown cypress and plane trees. After again passing a succession of hills, the rich and extensive valley of the Hermus opened before us. The descent into the valley was picturesque, wild, and in many parts precipitous. At halfpast five we arrived at the ancient Magnesia, now called Manser. The rocks we passed on leaving Smyrna are limestone, although the hill on which the castle stands, and several others, are of a volcanic earth or stone, much resembling granite, and of a dark colour. As we left the valley the hills became almost naked limestone, so white and soft that it seemed to split and crumble as if it had been burnt and was ready for the process of slacking. I saw no trace of fossil remains of any kind. Suddenly, after passing a small valley near the summit, all the range of hills became of a slaty rock, reddish in colour, and so contorted, that on first seeing it at the bottom of a brook I supposed it the trunk of an old tree: but I soon found myself in a ravine, cut or worn through the hill, consisting entirely of this schisty slate, which in places was so twisted that it appeared knotted together and writhing into circles and curves in every direction; part of it is shot through with veins of beautiful white marble, varying from an eighth of an inch

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to some feet in thickness. It is crystallized, sparkling at every fracture. Has not the same agency caused both these effects? In the valley formed and still forming by the river are rolled down large stones of this red slate, tied round as it were in all directions by white cords of marble; large green-coloured stones of the same kind are also rolled from other neighbouring hills. Among the first rocks of limestone that we passed were many loose blocks of petrified vegetable substances, forming a spongy stone, as also masses of pebbles cemented by the same limy matrix; these were near streams strongly charged with particles of lime, which run in all directions, and therefore are probably not very old, nor far from their birth-place.

The fig, vine, and olive enrich this valley, surrounded by the less profitable plane, wild pear, and stone-pine. I feel quite sure that the latter is the fir in its natural growth, which I never could see in that state in Italy; even when found in a wood, as is the case near Ravenna, it is always trimmed up to the top, which makes it look like an umbrella. The hills on the limestone side were green as summer, covered with clusters of a dwarf oak*, clothed with extremely small leaves, and so like a miniature holly that until I saw the acorns I fancied it of that species. There were also the juniper, the myrtle, and the oleander; but on the slate rock, although the aspect was the same, the mountains were richly embrowned with the dead leaves of the dwarf oak. The anemones of various colours, and the small dark yellow crocus, made the ground begin to look gay; but the ice was still upon all the pools, and in the evening it was intensely cold. Several times during this ride, upon the baggage getting loose on the horse, I met with instances of the civility of the Turks, who proffered their assistance with cord or whatever was wanted, and at other times offered

* Quercus.

us water, never expecting remuneration for their attention. I should mention however that on one occasion, when a man came out of a hut and begged to present me with a beautiful brace of red-legged partridges*, a species common in some parts of England, my servant Demetrius refused to receive them, and told me that such presents were always dear, as the giver expected more than their value.

As we approached Manser we met many trains of natives on asses, with strings of camels, and saw every indication of a large and busy town. On the road-side were buffalos feeding, smaller than those in Calabria, and without the hump; these, although equally unamiable in their appearance, are much more tame and useful. I saw several with their calves, and others which are evidently used for milking.

The town of Magnesia lies along the foot of a fine range of hills, backed by the almost perpendicular face of a rocky mountain (Mount Sipylus), whose top is now slightly capped with snow. At apparently inaccessible places on this cliff are many entrances to artificial caves cut in the shape of doors, evidently tombs of a very early date. The town has a great number of minarets of mosques, and more and better public buildings than Smyrna. I am now in a very fine building, the public khan. It is as extensive as any Italian palace, and built entirely of stone and iron; each room is dome-topped, with iron gratings and shutters to the windows, and an iron door, which was unlocked by a black slave with immense keys; the heavy door opened and I walked in, as if into a prison, but found it so clean, that although it offered little more than bare walls, I liked its appearance better than that of any house I had seen for months. Mats were spread on the floor, and unfolding my stores, all other comforts, together with an excellent dinner, were quickly supplied. For the first time I am lying on my

* Perdix rufus.

travelling mattress, and surrounded by pens, ink, and paper, with my canteen for a table; but I shall have other khans to describe probably different from this, and the present may give but little idea of the accommodations in travelling in this country. Manser is a very extensive place, but the houses are wholly built of mud, and the streets here, as in all the towns that I have yet seen, are covered over from house to house with canvas, mats, or vines on trellis, shading the street from the sun; and thus the shops only are visible to the traveller, who can gain but an imperfect view of the town.

February 23rd.-From Manser we started before nine o'clock, well-mounted, and traversed the valley directly north. At two miles' distance we crossed the river Hermus by a wooden bridge, and almost immediately after, its tributary the Hyllus, by a ferry; the latter is larger than the main river, which it joins within a furlong of the ferry. The valley over which we continued to ride must be at least twelve miles directly across from Manser, but we bore to the eastward up the valley of the Hyllus. The land is excellent, and I scarcely saw a stone during the first eighteen miles. Cotton and corn grow luxuriantly, but there are few trees except the willow and pollard poplar.

At the solitary stable or rest-house half-way to Acsá, (the ancient Thyatira, one of the Seven Churches,) I found the well-coping formed of the capital of a column of white marble veined with red. A burial-ground adjoining was filled with triglyphs and columns of a similar stone, and the people said that they were brought from Sardis; but this is scarcely probable, as they would have had to be carried a very considerable distance. My informant said that within a few miles were some ruins, (from the direction, perhaps Apollonis,) and that much stone was fetched from thence.

The valley along which I was now travelling inclined to the north-east, and became much narrower; at times it was intersected by the lengthened feet of the hills, on either side

showing bare rocks of white marble, sometimes with veins of red, but with no appearance of the crystallization which I noticed near Mount Sipylus. Following the course of the river, the banks of which were of a white drifting sand, the débris of the marble, I passed over the stream, and crossed an extent of bleak, uncultivated country. Two Turks looking wild with fear stopped us, and said they had just been robbed of all their money and baggage by two men, and that three others were in the same gang. Although our importance as Europeans would be some protection, from the inquiries which would be made if anything were to befall us, nevertheless Demetrius, whose gun had already killed a couple of wild ducks and a starling, and who had loaded for more of the feathered race, at once added some buttons as bullets to his charge; I covered my watch-strings, and we all kept together to make our party appear the more imposing. We made inquiry of two other Turks, who had seen the robbers, and had in consequence made a circuit; they attributed their safety however to their show of pistols, which, like those of all their nation, were awfully large and very handsome. We passed on, and neither saw nor heard more of the robbers, who I strongly suspect never existed.

The country as we approached Acsá became very low and marshy, and seemed only occupied by wild ducks, swans, plovers, and water-hens. For some miles we passed over a paved road, for the most part of stones rounded by the rivers; but along the edge of the road, which was built up with more care, I frequently saw marble cornices and beautifully cut stones; and in the walls and burial-ground at the entrance of the town there were numerous pieces of columns, many of granite, stuck in the ground as Turkish gravestones. The scenery has been all day extremely beautiful, and the land, which is always rich, would be valuable if suf ficiently cultivated, but it is much neglected. The distant mountains bounding the valleys only varied in beauty.

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