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INTRODUCTION.
INTRODUCTION.
The Commander in Chief of the garrison of Gibraltar having indulged the Author of the following pages with leave of absence, he accepted an invitation from an amiable Friend, to accompany him on a Voyage to the Levant. It was with the most heart-felt satisfaction, that he found himself enabled to profit by so favorable an opportunity of visiting a country, not only interesting from the precious remains of antiquity with which it is still adorned, but from the critical state into which it was thr
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A TOUR FROM GIBRALTAR TO CONSTANTINOPLE.
A TOUR FROM GIBRALTAR TO CONSTANTINOPLE.
MY DEAR FRIEND , At eight o'clock, yesterday morning, we left Gibraltar, with a contrary wind; and, on the first tack, we passed Ceuta, a place of no great intrinsic value, but an indifferent port. It is situated on a peninsula of Africa, which, with Gibraltar, Spartel and Trafalgar, forms the Straits, and is so strongly fortified by Nature, that, although the Moors have often besieged it, it has withstood all their efforts. Count Julian was Governor of this place, at the time Roderigo ravished
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LETTER II.
LETTER II.
MY DEAR FRIEND , The entrance of this harbour is not more than six hundred yards wide, and is flanked by about thirty guns on the east side, and two-and-twenty on the west: But, as troops coming from the town, must take a considerable circuit round the water, I imagine that, on a sudden attack, these batteries would not be manned in less than two hours. I can discern no embrazures on the line wall towards the sea; but, on the pier without the gates, there is a low battery of fifty heavy guns, to
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LETTER III.
LETTER III.
MY DEAR FRIEND , ON the 16th of last month, we weighed anchor off the harbour of Carthagena, and sailed out of the bay, between the rock and the continent, to the great astonishment of the Spaniards: but, although one might almost make hands with them on each side, there is no danger in a steady breeze; for the shore is so bold, that, whilst we had soundings in fourteen fathoms on one side of the ship, we found no bottom with a line of twenty on the other. The wind favoured us for some hours; bu
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The STORY of LUCILLA. MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED TO The Hon. Mrs. CHETWYND STAPYLTON
The STORY of LUCILLA. MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED TO The Hon. Mrs. CHETWYND STAPYLTON
After coffee, the ladies carried us to see a nunnery, of which there are no less than fourteen in Sardinia. I have ever thought these institutions a defect in policy, and have reprobated the idea of the Almighty being pleased at our depriving ourselves of the power of doing any one good and moral action: but, in justice to the Superintendants in this island, it must be observed, that no girl is permitted to become a Novice until she is fifteen, and must then serve a year longer before she can be
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LETTER IV.
LETTER IV.
MY DEAR SIR , THE churches here are plainer than one expects in a Roman Catholic country; but many of them are beautifully neat. The altar-pieces are composed of coloured marble, with no other ornaments than plated candlesticks and artificial flowers. We have seen but few paintings, and very little sculpture. The piece which struck us most, was for its singularity as a religious ornament, in one of the chapels of the cathedral. It is a group, with two figures a little detached on each side; neit
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LETTER V.
LETTER V.
MY DEAR FRIEND , We left Sardinia on the 3d instant; on the 7th, at day-light, were in sight of Mount Vesuvius; and, in the evening, we were close to Capria, a small island on the right of the entrance to the bay of Naples, famous for the abode of Tiberius. In size and shape, it is not unlike Gibraltar. The town is in the center of the west side, surrounded and interspersed with vines and evergreens, which give the houses the appearance of so many villas peeping through the trees. This spot is e
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LETTER VI.
LETTER VI.
MY DEAR FRIEND , WE lost no time in seeing the wonders of this extraordinary country. Our first object was to follow Æneas to the Cuman Shore, and on our way thither, it was but just to pay our oblations at Virgil's Tomb. This celebrated monument is close to the top of the Grotto of Pausilippe, on the left of the east entrance. The inside is a square of twelve feet, with three niches for urns on the east and west sides, two niches and a door, through which you enter, on the south, and the same o
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LETTER VII.
LETTER VII.
MY DEAR FRIEND , WE returned to Naples, highly gratified with our expedition to Baia, and, after a day's rest, set out for Mount Vesuvius. The foot of the mountain is about six miles off. We went at night, in order to view the crater to the greatest advantage, and were about two hours in walking from the base to the hermitage. The road, although steep, is tolerably good; and a light carriage may ascend the greatest part of it. Father Pietro, the Hermit, received us with great hospitality; and, a
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LETTER VIII.
LETTER VIII.
MY DEAR FRIEND , On a hill, a little without this city, the King has a palace, called Capo de Monté, in which there is a museum, and a numerous collection of paintings, the best of which is Titian's celebrated Danaæ. Nothing can be more beautiful, or expressive of enjoyment, than her face, or more elegantly shaped than her person: but, dared I suppose it possible to improve the design of so perfect a master, I would say, that, for Jupiter's sake, I wish that her knees were less drawn up. Scidon'
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LETTER IX.
LETTER IX.
MY DEAR SIR, Engagements in Naples, which we could not decline, and the shortness of our stay, allowed us to make but one more excursion to the country. This was to the new palace at Casertta. The outside has nothing to boast of but the grandeur of its size; but for convenience, the plan is, perhaps, the best which has ever been laid out. It is a square of six hundred feet each side; and that no room may be lost, the interior court is divided into four, by a range of buildings in the shape of a
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LETTER X.
LETTER X.
MY DEAR FRIEND , Lord Hervey and Captain Barnard, who have had the goodness to accompany us thus far, being about to leave us, I embrace this opportunity of sending you a continuation of my Journal; a form of writing, which, in conformity to your wishes, I shall always prefer whenever we are at sea. Friday, September 28th. At four o'clock, yesterday afternoon, we got under way, in order to pay the King of Naples a visit at Castello Mare. We were becalmed all night; and his Majesty, being apprize
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LETTER XI.
LETTER XI.
Lord Hervey took leave of us this morning off Salerno, and had scarce made the shore in a boat that attended his Lordship, before we were attacked by an adverse gale of wind, which obliged us to stand towards the west, pretty close to Capria, and, I assure you, it is with no small satisfaction, that we find ourselves sufficiently to windward to fetch the Bay of Naples, should the storm increase. October 3d. The gale having moderated, we tacked at one A. M. and at noon the wind became fair, but h
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LETTER XII.
LETTER XII.
MY DEAR FRIEND , Messina, which was formerly in so flourishing a state, and which was accounted one of the prettiest cities in the world, is now exactly in the condition of Gibraltar during the siege; and the inhabitants live in just such miserable places as the huts of Black-town and Windmill-hill. The front of the town extended along the water side, for above two thousand yards, in the form of a crescent, adorned with pilasters and pediments, and a grand esplanade open to the sea, which at onc
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LETTER XIII.
LETTER XIII.
MY DEAR FRIEND , We are, at last, arrived on the confines of Greece, a venerable name, now almost lost in that of Turkey in Europe, and its former splendour so entirely reversed, that I am particularly fortunate in finding a conveyance for a letter. Here are no posts in this neglected country, and the people once so accomplished, are in utter ignorance of what passes in the world, except from the vague reports they get from vessels, which now and then put in here. And this, alas! is the unhappy
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LETTER XIV.
LETTER XIV.
MY DEAR FRIEND , Convinced that you will be happy to hear of our arrival in Asia, I take advantage of the first courier to send you a letter. Independent of the satisfaction of being in a region so noted in history, and of traversing scenes which one has so often contemplated in the page of antiquity, we have the happiness of finding a society we did not expect in this lost country--a soil where the iron hand of Despotism checks every generous sentiment in the vanquished Greek, and where the con
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LETTER XV.
LETTER XV.
MY DEAR FRIEND , Smyrna is the only ancient town of Asia Minor, that continues to thrive. It flourished many centuries before Christ, but was almost destroyed by an earthquake in the reign of Mark Anthony, and has never since recovered its former splendour. For although its advantageous situation for trade soon drew new inhabitants, yet, to lessen the effect of a similar catastrophe, the houses are all very low. The streets are in general dirty, narrow, and ill-paved, for the natives never study
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LETTER. XVI.
LETTER. XVI.
TO CAPTAIN SMITH. MY DEAR FRIEND , The Empress of Russia's late journey to the Crimea, and the confederacy formed there by her Majesty and the Emperor of Germany, have given the late stroke to those reiterated provocations which would, long ere this, have excited to arms a people less irascible than the Turks: but, however inclined the nation at large might be to resent the insults of the Russians, and the frequent infringements of the Treaty of Cainardgie, yet their fiery spirit was kept in awe
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LETTER XVII.
LETTER XVII.
MY DEAR FRIEND, To gain some little knowledge of the interior country, and, at the same time, to pay a compliment to St. Paul, we took a journey by land to Ephesus, the inhabitants of which, you may remember, were honoured with an Epistle from him, and with having his son Timothy for a Bishop. It is barely forty miles from hence; but the Turks never going beyond a foot pace in travelling, we made it a journey of two days. We had six horses for ourselves, and as many for our guides, janizary, and
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LETTER XVIII.
LETTER XVIII.
MY DEAR FRIEND , We took leave of our Smyrna friends on the 19th of January, and having passed Scio, Lesbos, and Ipsera, were off Scyros on the 21st. We wished to visit this island, because it contains the tomb of Theseus, who killed the monster of Crete, and carried off the beauteous Ariadne; but the wind not permitting us to fetch it, we continued our course by Negropont, Longa, and the Promontory of Sunium. But the next morning the wind blew so strong against us, that finding it in vain to op
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CHAPTER. XIX.
CHAPTER. XIX.
MY DEAR FRIEND , Athens still contains near ten thousand inhabitants, and has lately been enclosed by a wall, to defend it from the irruptions of the Albanians, who are ever ripe for a revolt, and have several times plundered the town. The neighbourhood abounds with olive trees, and the French have established a small factory for the culture of them. The ancient citadel is always kept in a state of defence; and, being situated on the flat surface of an unassailable rock, it is only to be subdued
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THE BATTLE OF MARATHON, MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE GENERAL ELIOTT, LORD HEATHFIELD.
THE BATTLE OF MARATHON, MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE GENERAL ELIOTT, LORD HEATHFIELD.
This celebrated field is about twelve miles in circumference, and a day's march from Athens. It is washed by the sea on the east, and surrounded by mountains on every other side, except the south-east corner, where the flat is continued a short space along the shore, and afterwards terminated by hills. The part where this slip joins the grand plain, has a large morass in its center, which extends pretty close to the hills on one side, and near the water's edge on the other. There are two roads f
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LETTER. XX.
LETTER. XX.
MY DEAR FRIEND , On our way to Marathon, we turned a little out of the road to see a mutilated statue of a Lion, which still bears the signs of most excellent workmanship. We have already repeatedly viewed every thing worthy notice in Athens; but as the painter has not yet finished his drawings, we shall remain here some days longer, during which we mean to make an excursion to the Islands of Salamis, Ægina, &c. But as they contain nothing worthy description, I will close this sketch of
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LETTER XXI.
LETTER XXI.
MY DEAR FRIEND , On the 9th of February we sailed from the Pyræus, but the next morning a violent gale rising up against us, we were obliged to take shelter in our old port at Idra. During the night the wind changed, and at day-break on the 11th we again got under way, and sailing along the coast of Mycene and Argos, the kingdoms of Agamemnon and Menelaus, reached Cape Angelo at sunset; and standing to the westward, we passed between Servi and the island of Venus; and thus, for the present, took
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LETTER XXII.
LETTER XXII.
MY DEAR FRIEND , We left Leghorn on the 18th, and, two hours after, arrived at Pisa. We remained there the rest of the day, and had just time to take a cursory view of the wonderful Leaning Tower, the celebrated Brazen Gates of the Cathedral, the Dome, the College, and the Chapel of the Knights of St. Stephen, &c. &c. Early next morning, we resumed our journey, and, at four in the afternoon, arrived at this elegant city. From Leghorn to Florence is sixty-three miles, or, in the I
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LETTER XXIII.
LETTER XXIII.
MY DEAR FRIEND , When I inform you, that the Catalogue alone of the Gallery of Florence, fills a large volume, what an unconscionable request will my dear friend appear to have made, in demanding a regular description of this superb and invaluable collection. From so young an Amateur as I am, such an attempt, methinks, would be the height of presumption--I had almost said, of profanation. But, to convince you how much I would undertake to oblige you, suffice it to say, that the part properly cal
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LETTER XXIV.
LETTER XXIV.
MY DEAR FRIEND , We left Florence on the 27th of March, and, on the 6th instant, sailed from Leghorn. The little island of Elba lying in our course towards Naples, we meant to stop there, for a few hours, to examine the harbour, which, it is said, is a very convenient one for vessels watching an enemy in Leghorn Roads; but, having no wind till three o'clock in the afternoon, we did not reach it till dusk. We were now going nine knots an hour. Nothing could be seen till the morning; and, as we di
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LETTER XXV.
LETTER XXV.
MY DEAR FRIEND , After a pleasant passage of scarce forty hours, at day-break on the 26th ult. we found ourselves in sight of Palermo. Nothing can be more picturesque than this bay. It forms a large amphitheatre, with the Capital of Sicily in the center, surrounded, for some miles, by a most beautiful country, interspersed with villas, and inclosed by romantic rocks and mountains. A calm, which lasted several hours, gave us an opportunity of admiring this beautiful scene at our leisure; and in t
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LETTER XXVI.
LETTER XXVI.
MY DEAR FRIEND , After an absence of four months, we returned here on the 24th instant, and found the Turks in the highest spirits. The Emperor has declared against them: but this was a proceeding they had been prepared for; and, far from his arms having as yet been attended with any decisive success, he tarnished them in the onset, by beginning the war in a pusillanimous style, not at all expected from so powerful an enemy. We had scarce left this country, before advice was received of a treach
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LETTER XXVII.
LETTER XXVII.
MY DEAR FRIEND , In my last letter, we left the Austrian General, Prince of Saxe Cobourg, directing his march towards Choczim. He sat down before that fortress about the middle of March, and immediately began to invest it; but the moment the Turks were informed that the enemy had entered Moldavia, they detached a corps of 40,000 men, to drive them out of the province. On the approach of these troops, the Prince of Saxe Cobourg was obliged to raise the siege; and, on the 16th and 17th of May, he
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LETTER XXVIII.
LETTER XXVIII.
MY DEAR FRIEND , An unexpected opportunity having offered to carry us to Constantinople, we set sail for the Dardanelles on the 25th Oct. having previously sent to desire an express might meet us there, with the Grand Signior's permission to pass the forts, and go up to his capital. A favor, which, through the interest of Sir Robert Ainslie, our Ambassador, the Porte very readily granted. This permission, however, is a compliment seldom or ever paid to a man of war of any nation, except when she
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LETTER XXIX.
LETTER XXIX.
MY DEAR FRIEND , The Porte having given a decisive answer, relative to the frigates which were brought to Constantinople to be sold, we shall sail for Gibraltar immediately. We have been detained here much longer than we expected, but the hospitality and munificence of Sir Robert Ainslie, have amply compensated this delay; and it is with the greatest regret, that I see myself on the eve of leaving his society, and of quitting a place where the hearts of every one seem to wish to detain us. Nothi
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ADVERTISEMENT.
ADVERTISEMENT.
It was the Author's original intention to publish his work in two volumes, one of which was to contain the whole of his first voyage to the Levant, with his return to Italy, describing all the places he visited previous to his departure from Palermo, whence he set out on his second voyage to Turkey. This voyage would have formed the second volume, but finding the time allowed him on leave of absence insufficient to complete his design, he has been obliged, for the present, to withhold the latter
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LIST Of SUBSCRIBERS.
LIST Of SUBSCRIBERS.
N.B. The Subscribers marked L. subscribed to the Guinea Edition, which the Author had not determined to publish till after he had collected the subscriptions at Gibraltar. The cover image was produced by the Transcriber and is in the public domain. The list of subscribers was originally before the start of the book and has been moved to back as a convenience to modern readers for whom it may not have importance. Errata corrections: l. 1838:'be is adored' changed to 'he is adored' ll. 4050/4051'b
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