island. These ruins, from their position, may probably be the site of the city of Trabala.

It is common for people to extol the objects of present excitement above any they have ever seen, but, as I rode for five hours through a pass of the mountains, calling to recollection the scenery of Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Greece, I must say that I have never before met with any of this description so magnificently beautiful and so lengthened. It is a gorge unaccountably formed through a range of mountains many thousand feet in height, and so narrow that the river alone occupies the ravine. Our track was down its bed, and we crossed and recrossed its waters, as they rushed from side to side, above thirty times: the stream was generally about four feet deep.

This narrow valley, generally bearing to the south-east, wound about continually, leaving us for the first ten miles apparently locked in by the grandest cliffs of limestone, every ledge nurturing a tree: the extent of our view never exceeded half a mile. The valley then slightly widened, allowing a few luxuriant trees to grow upon the banks of the river: and the goatherd's pipe and the bleating of his flock broke the monotonous grandeur of the sound of rushing waters, which was echoed by the cliffs on either side. For another hour the valley continued narrow, but the cliffs fell back into more wooded mountains, and in an hour more our route suddenly opened upon the plain of Myra: the river, after running four or five miles through these wellcultivated districts, finds its course to the sea.

The fatigue of excitement, from the beauty and singularity of the scenery, made me rejoice at reaching this ancient city; and the bodily fatigue to the baggage-horses, of wading so often through the rapid water, scarcely left them strength to reach the end of the journey. A few miles before we arrived at the termination of the ravine several remains of Greek-built towers rose from amidst the trees,

on the points of rocks, apparently inaccessible; and at the opening of the ravine commenced the cutting of an aqueduct in the face of the perpendicular cliff, which we traced on our right hand to the ancient city. In following its now broken course numbers of highly ornamented tombs caught my eye, and promised full occupation for a day or two's sojourn amongst them.

358

CHAPTER XXI.

RUINS OF MYRA.-TOMBS.-COLOURED BAS-RELIEFS.-RUINS.-PASSAGE OF MOUNTAIN TO PHINEKA. ANCIENT ISIUM?-LIMYRA.-SCULPTURES AND INSCRIPTION.-ANCIENT,BRIDGE.-GAGE.-EXCURSION BY THE PROMONTARIUM SACRUM TO OLYMPUS.-A DESERTED VILLAGE.-VALLEY OF THE ARYCANDUS.-TOMBS.-RUINS.-DISCOVERY OF ARYCANDA.-ITS RUINS.

April 28th.-Myra was among the most important of the Lycian cities, and its ruins appear to be little injured by age. The city must have extended far over the plains, in front of the rock, which has now the theatre at its foot, and a multitude of beautiful tombs cut in its cliff; I say this, judging from the very reasonable arguments advanced by Mr. Cockerell, that the size of a theatre is a good indication of the population of a city. The theatre at Myra is among the largest and the best built in Asia Minor: much of its fine corridor and corniced proscenium remains; the upper seats have disappeared, but the present crop of wheat occupies. little more than the area; probably about six feet of earth may have accumulated upon its surface. As an argument against the former great size of the city, I should bring the proportionate small number of tombs now existing in the rocks, although, as at Telmessus, many of the inhabitants may have been entombed in sarcophagi on the plain which have perhaps disappeared; certainly the tombs that remain

could not have contained a single generation of the people. The tombs are generally very large, and all appear to have been for families; some having small chambers, one leading to the other, and some highly interesting from their interior peculiarities of arrangement. The external ornaments are here enriched by sculptured statues in the rocks around, and these in the chaste style of the Lycians, whose language, with one exception, is universal in the inscriptions here; but the tombs are mostly without any inscription whatever.

Within the porticoes of several of the tombs (for many of these, like those at Tlos and Pinara, have a lobby or porch) are bas-reliefs in better preservation than those in other cities. Some of these have additional interest, from retaining the colours with which they were painted, and removing another of the few doubts I still entertain of these people having been connected with the ancient inhabitants of Etruria. The custom of colouring their statues, as well as the mode of doing it, and the similarity of the action of the figures, will strike every one. The letters of the inscription were painted alternately blue and red*. The sculpture upon

* The satisfaction which I derived on my return to Athens, in renewing my acquaintance with the justly celebrated Professor Müller, has made me more aware of the immense loss which Europe has sustained by the death of one of her greatest scholars in all the vigour of life. I wish that I could remember the many valuable remarks he made upon the subject of my discoveries, in which he took a most lively interest. On seeing the coloured drawing of this tomb, he expressed the following opinion as to the mode of colouring adopted by the Greeks in their works of art:—“The ancients painted their bas-reliefs: they only tinged their statues; tinging the drapery, leaving the flesh part uncoloured; the wounds and blood were stained, and the ear-rings and ornaments gilded. Their temples were left white, but parts of the frieze and architectural ornaments were coloured, but very minutely. Their temples of coarser materials were plastered, and entirely coloured. The Parthenon frieze was coloured, all the backgrounds of their bas-reliefs were painted."This was his opinion at Athens, June 26th, 1840.

the tombs is of the finest age for ease, simplicity, and beauty of proportion.

On the plains of Myra are scattered many ruins, but at great distances from each other; and wherever the fine standing corn does not surround them a swamp is the cause of the want of cultivation, and either of these prevents our close examination. One pile nearer to the sea is known, from inscriptions found, to have been a granary built in the time of Adrian. Another clump at a short distance from us is of the middle ages, and until lately boasted the possession of the bones of St. Nicholas; but these have been transported to Russia, and a Greek priest alone remains within the holy walls, which were formerly the object of pilgrimages to the tomb of this favourite saint of the Greek church, whose birth-place is still holy ground at Patara. This saint appears to be more venerated here than St. Paul, who visited Myra on his voyage to Rome*.

The old priest tells us that he alone is left upon the plain after the middle of May, as every hut in this village and on the plain is then deserted for the mountains, on account of the heat and the appearance of an overwhelming number of mosquitos or gnats. A large black fly also appears at that season, which stings the cattle; at its approach they are described running as if mad into the mountains.

The peasants here are very attentive in keeping back their fierce dogs, and rendering any assistance in their power, but they are not antiquarians: they know no distinction between tombs, towers, and theatres, and cannot recognize in the statues the likeness of man. In reply to our inquiries after coins, the people told us that they had collected none, adding that these were the money of Ghiaours, which they would not touch; they went however to inquire if the children had, in ignorance, picked up any, but I regret that the

* Acts xxvii. 5.

.