brambles and serpents, and still struck by the curse of a plundering adventurer." A similar negligence on the part of one of these watchmen was detected while Captain G*** was dining, in company with Sonnini, at the house of the French agent at the same village: it was not without great difficulty, and by dint of earnest solicitations, that the two generous Frenchmen obtained the pardon of the culprit. At Santorin the naturalist will find a curious and minute account of a submarine volcano, which produced a new islet between the Great and Little Kammenian, in the year 1707. The parti culars of this most awful and extraordinary event, which admit not of abbreviation, are taken from an eye-witness, who published them in " Les Memoires des Missions de la Compagnie de Jésus dans le Levant." Candia. With pleasure could we wander among the delightful gardens of this island. If, in painting them, Savary has" employed the most delicate touches of his pencil, and the most brilliant colours of his pallet," Sonnini has shewn himself no unworthy rival of that fascinating artist, The latter has thrown into his picture life and motion: in both do we behold, grouped with excelling taste, the lofty plane-tree, spreading its vast branches and impenetrable foliage to the sun; the lemon, the olive, and the citron; the purple fruit of the pomegranate, the orange, and the almond, bending the rich boughs that bear them; but in Sonnini we can almost inhale the varied fragrance of the jasmine, the oleander, and the myrtle; and almost hear the sweet accents of the linnet, the nightingale, and the solitary blackbird, It is curious, that in the island of Candia, which from remotest antiquity has been celebrated for the salubrity of its climate, where the Turks have really acquired a taller stature, and a more manly outline; it is curious, that the Greeks of this enchanting island should have degenerated in their stature, and have lost some of the beauty of their proportions. Sonnini asserts, that the same disparity in the exterior attributes of the Turk and the Greek, is met with among the women of these two nations. The Turkish women are here handsomer than in the other parts of the East; whereas the female Greeks have, generally speaking, fewer charms than they possess in several other countries. The wines of Candia still preserve their an cient reputation. Argentiera. This island, and the neighbouring one of Milo, were the usual rendezvous to which our traveller re, paired after his different excursions in the Archipelago: here he arranged the notes and observations which he had collected at different places, and here he found sufficient tranquillity and lei, sure to make those general remarks on the manners and customs of the Greeks of the Archipelago, their domestic ha bits, superstitions, &c. &c. which occupy a considerable portion of the second vo lume of this work. These are described in an elegant and interesting manner; but the marriage and funeral ceremo, nies of the Greeks, and many particularities concerning them, which are here very properly introduced, have already been communicated to us by so many travellers, that it would be quite superfluous to enlarge on them in this place, A very minute, and truly curious, detail is given of the process adopted in the islands of the Archipelago by nurses to promote the profitable pains of parturi tion; Sonnini was present at the deli, very of a young woman, and suffered none of the minutia of management to escape him. They are altogether the most singular, surely, and the most whimsical in the world; nor is the me thodus medendi, which is subsequently adopted, less singular, or less whimsi cal; but we must refer to the volume, contenting ourselves with felicitating those of our fair country-women, who are in this most delicate and interesting situation, on their exemption from the well-meant, but most rough, visitation and attentions of an Archipelagian matron! Almost all the species of birds of our countries are met with in the Levant ; Sonnini has enumerated a great many of these species, distinguishing those which are sedentary, and pass the whole year in any of these islands, from such as are migratory. The naturalist will be much gratified by many observations which occur in this curious itinerary; the two following are particularly wor thy of attention: The periods of the passage of birds into Greece varies ac, cording to the winds which prevail there. The northerly winds, which usually reign in the latter end of the summer, blew much later than usual in the summer of 1779: the passage of birds from the north was accordingly delayed, and the period of their passing was of shorter duration. Another general remark is, that in the spring-passage, that is, on their return to our climates, birds travel in bodies, less numerous, and are more dispersed than in their passage in autumn; and this sort of disunion constitutes their safety. In their autumnal migration they are, generally speaking, very fat, and in this migration fall readily into the numberless snares which are spread for them on every side; in the spring they are usually very lean, and escape these snares by the dispersion of their flight! The pheasants which are sometimes seen in the most northern islands of the Archipelago, and come thither from the woods of Thessalia, are represented by Sonnini as being larger and handsomer than those of our countries. He tells us, that it is an amusement for the rich Turks of Salonica to fly at them birds of prey, which they carry on their fist. "When the pheasant takes its flight, the bird of prey which they let loose, hovering above, compels it to perch on some tree; he then places himself on another over its head, and keeps it in so great fright, that it suffers itself to be approached, and easily taken quite alive." This fact sufficiently developes the mystery of fascination. Naxia. No man can exhibit a warmer and more constant zeal for the honour and interests of his country than Sonnini: active patriotism is entitled to our respect wherever it is found. In the early part of this work, Sonnini had enlarged on the flourishing state of the French trade to the Levant before the year 1789, lamented its decay from that period, and traced the causes of it. His attention is now turned to the revival of this important trade, and he proposes an establishment of commercial relations in the islands of the Archipelago. Several of these islands pass under his review; but many circumstances point out Naxia as the most desirable emperium to the French traders. The coasts of the island afford good places for shelter. The principal inhabitants are descended from ancient families of France, Spain, and Italy; and the Greeks themlves of the present day are less under the power of the Turk, than in almost any other of the islands. "Naxia is the largest of the Cyclades, and its fertility, still more than its extent, has occasioned it to be called the Queen. The same spirit of liberty which reigned among their ancestors, has been propagated to the modern Greeks: enslaved under the brazen yoke of mussulman despotism, they have found means to preserve at least the forms of a free state: they are governed by magistrates chosen from among themselves: no Turk there establishes his domination; and this is not one of the smallest allurements of Naxia. It is, in a word, the most agreeable, and at the same time the most tranquil,' island of the Archipelago." The plan here proposed of a particu lar commerce to be established in the islands of the Levant, is rendered more complete by a list of the various articles of merchandize which are fit to be introduced into the trade. It is scarcely necessary to say, that the information contained in this chapter particularly, and much of that which is scattered over different parts of these volumes, may eventually be as useful to the English as the French. Salonica. This town, which is built almost at the head, and on the east coast of the gulf which bears its name, is the capital of Macedonia, and one of the largest and most populous towns of the Turkish empire. Remnants of ancient monuments are yet to be seen, and every where fragments of edifices, profaned by their mixture with common materials in modern buildings. Salonica is the emporium of a very considerable commerce: cotton is shipped here abundantly; grain, gathered from fields of astonishing fecundity; very beautiful wool; silk, and the floss that comes from it; together with wax, honey, &c. &c. On the opposite side of the gulf, Olympus rears on high his immortal head. As the frigate in which our traveller was embarked, had yet to remain some time in the harbour, he resolved to avail himself of the opportunity to make a journey into ancient Macedonia, and pay a visit to the abode of the gods. Although the firman of the sultan would be despised by the brave, but terrible Albanians, who no longer acknowledged the authority of the grand sig to nior, and whose hatred against the Turks of Salonica was extended to the Franks, and other inhabitants of the city; yet was Sonnini not to be intimidated. The kind and earnest`entreaties of his friends, who laid before him the dangers of the adventure, availed nothing in the character of physicians, himself and his courageous friend set out on their excursion. They obtained two soldiers to serve as guides from an Albanian prince, to whom a Greek merchant at Salonica had given them a letter of recommendation, About the middle of the first night, they reached a village called Skala, situated on the declivity of the mountain, and the next morning were well received by the monks of the Greek convent at that place. The bishop, who chanced to be there, related the numerous acts of plunder and extortion which they had suffer from parties of the Albanians, who made little ceremony in laying them under any contributions which their necessities demanded: and consoled the travellers with an assurance, that the features of their two guides were perfectly familiar to him, being two of the most notorious marauders, and determined villains, in the country. Sonnini and his friend had no reason to doubt the fidelity of his information; for having quitted the plain in order to ascend Olympus, when they had reached the dark forests which almost cover the mountain, the two fellows, without any reserve, amused themselves with the recitation of their exploits, the dreadful particulars of which were brought to their recollection as they passed the many spots which had been the scene of them. "The darkness of the night, and the mournful silence which there reigned," says Sonnini, “ gave to their discourse an impression of terror with which it was difficult not to be affected." His companion was alarmed, but Sonnini, in order to dispel his growing inquietude, represented, with admirable promptness and dexterity, their situation as remarkably fortunate, protected as they were from other robbers by the notorious courage and desperate ferocity of their two guides, whom the aga, doubt less, on that very account, had selected. to attend them. This singular consolation was, how ever, deceitful: on the following day, while traversing these forests, their guides repeatedly called to them from a distance, and apprised them that a numerous body of Albanians, robbers by profession, had possessed themselves of the monastery, and would infallibly set out in pursuit of them. The soldiers had no connection with these formidable freebooters, but, on the contrary, gave repeated proofs of attachment to our travellers, during the whole of their journey. That presence of mind which Mr. Sonnini so often displayed in cases of difficulty with the Bedouin Arabs, mined to present himself before the came to his assistance here. He deter chief of the robbers. admirably fitted to the pages of a roThe incident is mance. "Never did man, by the whole of his exterior, announce better his odious pro fession. A stature almost colossal, a corpulence which announced extraordinary strength, a broad face burnt by the sun, large eyes shaded by thick and long eyebrows blacker than jet, a stern and gloomy look, all the features and countenance of hard-heartedness were displayed on the whole person of this chief of robbers, who was respectfully called aga. He was seated on a sort of sopha, placed in a cool air in the several of his officers: his long musket, with gallery of the convent, and surrounded by NIA, was standing at his side; a capital pair a thin and flat butt like all those of ALBAof pistols was fastened to his waist, and a thick chain of massy silver, strengthened by several plates of the same metal, supported a large scymitar. I approached and repeated to him what I had said to the Papas of Vroumeri: that we were foreign physicians OLYMPUS produced, and of which we comgathering wonderful plants, which the soil of posed remedies no less wonderful. I added, that having frequently heard of his power, we considered ourselves very happy in having an opportunity of offering our, services to so great a man. Adulation is the snare in which fools suffer themselves to be caught the most easily; there are even people of unbait. I remarked a shade less harsh on the derstanding who resist not this dangerous the most favourable omen. countenance of the aga, and drew thence long been troubled with an ulcer in his leg, This man had which incommoded him greatly; he asked me if I could cure him. I promised him the most complete cure in less than a fortnight, and gave him a small bottle of GovLARD's lotion, with which I had provided myself. the highest favour, and might have played with success the part of a protector, which suits the taste of so many people." "From that moment I was invested with Continuing to ascend, the monastery of St. Dennis stands three leagues from Skala: and above this convent there are no more habitations on Olympus. It was the middle of July when this excursion was taken, and although the heat was extreme towards the base of the mountain as well as in the plain, vast frozen masses of snow rendered the summit inaccessible. "It is not astonishing," says Sonnini, "that the Greeks have placed the abode of the gods on an eminence which mortals cannot reach." The monks of the convent "who have succeeded them in this great elevation of the globe," confirmed what has sometimes been disputed, the perpetual permanence of ice and snow on the top of the mountain. With the exception of chamois and a few bears, there are hardly any quadrupeds to be seen beyond the half of the height of Olympus. Birds also scarcely pass this limit. The cruise of the frigate Mignonne in the Levant was now terminated, and M. Sennini, on board this ship, entered the port of Toulon, October 18, 1780, after an absence and a journey of four years. In the early part of this article, we noticed several coincidences between the narrative of our countryman Mr. Eaton and Mr. Sonnini. There is one more in which not only these travellers but all travellers agree, that is, the probability of a speedy annihilation of Turkish dominion in Europe. No country, perhaps, is so highly favoured by nature, and no country, surely, is so heavily cursed by its government as Greece: the more fertile the soil, the more lovely the pastures, the more smiling the vallies, so much the more frequent, so much the more offensive, and so much the more oppressive, are the merciless exactions of the ferocious Mussulman. The poisonous upas has been transplanted from Java to Constantinople: it branches overshadow the Agean, and shed their deadly influence over all its islands. But physical as well as moral causes seem now to conspire towards its destruction: a recent convulsion of nature threatened its stability; and its total eradication is devoutly to be wished. The plates to this work are published in a separate volume: they consist, I. of a general chart of the Levant, drawn up with great elegance and accuracy, by Mr. Poirson, and engraved by Mr. Russel: it is constructed from the observations of Sonnini, as well as from those of modern engineers and travellers of ability; and comprises the coasts of Syria, Egypt, and Barbary; the islands of Cyprus, Rhodes, and Candia; all the islands of the Archipelago; a great part of Asia Minor, and the channel of Constantinople, together with Romania, Macedonia, and the Morea, &c. &c. II. Firman of Sultan Abdoul Achmet, emperor of the Turks,, delivered to C. S. Sonnini. III. Scorpion-spider, or galéode araneoïde, of the natural size. IV. No. 1, sea serpent; No. 2, fangri, a fish; No. 3, calamary and polype. V. Three fishes, No. 1, melanurus; No. 2, skatari; No. 3, cabrilla. VI. Dress of the women of the island Argentiera. ART. XVI. Travels in the Ottoman Empire, undertaken by Order of the Government of France, during the first six Years of the Republic, by G. A. OLIVIER, Member of the National Institute, of the Society of Agriculture of the Department of the Seine, &c. &c. Illustrated by Engravings, cons sting of Human Figures, Animals, Plants, Maps, Plans, B. Sc. To which is prefixed, a Map of Greece, of the Archipelago, and of a Part of As a Minor. Translated from the French, under the Author's Inspection. 4to. pp. 530, together with an Atlas, price 21. 12s. 6d. boards. 8vo. 2 vols. IN the year 1792, Messrs. Olivier and Pruguiere were commissioned by the French government to travel into the Ottoman empire, Egypt, and Persia, for the purpose of investigating commerce, agriculture, natural history, general physics, geography, the medical art, and even the political relations between France and Turkey. Had such an embassy been sent by the Directory, or the Corsican autocrat, we should be justified in suspecting, that these savans were sent as spies to see the weakness of the land. But Claviere, Roland, and Garat, were then members of the Executive Council. They selected men of science for the mission, and the advancement of knowledge was their object. "A celebrated author has said, that travels ought to be written in the manner of history, and not in that of romance:* he has proved to us in a clear, precise, and energetic style, that subjects the most serious, and discussions the most important, might interest every class of readers, and still please more than the flowery style, the romantic episodes, and the exaggerated or false descriptions of most travellers. "Penetrated, like him, with this truth, I have, in the following narrative, avoided all singular anecdotes, all humourous stories, more fit to amuse than to instruct. I was not willing to employ those over-brilliant colours which may be captivating for a moment, but the effect, of which is transient. The sight of a deserted field, covered with myrtles, or that of a garden confusedly planted with date and orange trees, could never inflame my imagination; and I have frequently surveyed, without astonishment, truncated capitals and scattered fragments of columns." In this country it must appear ridiculous to quote a celebrated author, to prove that travellers should avoid exaggeration and falsehood in their narratives. But the French are the Cretans of the present day. We remember the travels of Paul Lucas, of Savary, of Vaillant and acknowledge this assertion as a merit in a Frenchman. When Mr. Olivier and his companion arrived at Constantinople, they found their countrymen were regarded as wretches who were to be feared, and hated, and despised. The French envoy had been arrested by the pacha at Trawnick; the palace of their ambassador was deserted; those of the other legations were shut against them; several of their merchants had put themselves under foreign protection. The Greek clergy preached against their irreligion, and the Greek prostitutes would not pollute themselves by intercourse with so wicked a people. The Porte, how ever, was compelled, by its weakness, to act wisely, and was well content to see the Christians destroying each other: and the people indulged a hope, that while Russia was occupied in war with France, they might recover the Crimea, and be revenged for their defeat. Descorches, the envoy extraordinary, at length obtained permission to proceed to the capital, but only as a simple individual. He arrived there under a borrowed name, and in the character of merchant, The travellers applied to him, and learnt that he was ignorant of their mission, that he had not, before his departure, received any instructions relating to them, nor found any letter or notice concerning them at the legation. They discovered that they were abandoned, not by any neglect of the virtuous and able men who had sent them; those ministers, says M. Olivier, were no longer in place, or no longer in existence. Doubtful whether the present ministers would perceive any utility in their travels, and whether they would grant them the assistance which their predecessors had promised, and with which the travellers could no longer dispense. They waited at Constantinople, by the envoy's advice, till the minister for foreign affairs should explain himself respecting them; and they employed the interval in acquiring all the knowledge which their circumstances could afford. A curse seems to have lain upon Constantinople from its foundation. Villains and fools, in miserable succession, have tyrannized there, from the cruel hypocrite its founder, down to the stupid savages who are daily destroying the monuments of his power. Athens, Rome, Paris, London, have all had their periods of enormity; but this city has never been the seat of virtue, or science, or glory; it presents to us only the spectacle of perverted power, vices the most monstrous, and barbarous learning, even more mischievous than the beastly ignorance which has succeeded it. The misanthropist who would wish to inspire others with his own contempt and abhorrence of mankind, the atheist who would persuade us to disbelieve the existence of God, because of the depravity of man, should write the history of Constantinople. The Turkish system has been well delineated by Rycaut, and in more modern times by D'Ohsson. Mr. Eton's book was written for a political purpose, to expose the weakness of Turkey, not to delineate its constitution. We have no where seen the religious and civil establishment so well detailed as in the present work, The sultan, as the direct successor of the caliphs and the prophet, is absolute sovereign, legislator, and high-priest. He may create new laws, or alter arad • Volney, Voyage en Syrie et en Egypte. |