Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-05-27

| there. Shortly after wards | went TO Thehes, by
the road Of Cassia, nehr which ] saw the ruins OF
Phyle. Ascending the hill, upon which Phyla
is built, | enjoyed the most surprising and magni-
fcent view ever met with IN all my travels.
suppose that you have left the plain OF Athens, and
have entered the wild and romantic vsllies that
lead TO Ca.sia, twelve miles from Athens. Thence
you ascend Mount Parnes, on the road to B9otia,
After two or three miles walk you turn round, and,
as if by enchantment, you see again the the Aero
polls of Athens with the Psrthenon on the loitiest
point of it; and TO your left the Pentelicas and the
Hymettu-, which enclose your view an that side
the Hymettus streaming to the south Of Athens to-
wards Cape-Suniun; TO your right you behold the
Saronic Gulf AMI the range ofhilis along the coast
Of the Norea. The effect of this view IL most tru-
ly sublime. found Thebes in ruins. gloomy like a
desert. as if the anger OF 1.-THE gods were still pursu
ing the house ofLabdacus There are scarcely any
v~estiges of antiquity, except a few columns, some
incnptions, and an ancleat tower, Cat least the low
er part ofit) supposed to be one Of the Seven Tow
ers so famous in early history. Al Thebes | took
leave Of Danish gentleman, the compau' on of my
excursions, a young man Of a noble m nd, full OF
zeal for the cause Of Greeks, whom he wen, to Join
before Zeitouni, where he was killed IN the first
engagement,
And on whom may the earth gently press"
From Thebes | went to PlatHa, now Kokla,
| where still surprising walls are seen, astonishing
DtNiAlCAa ~ lAiS w tio9 ihb'S iiNhNt
to Erinno- Castro (anciently Ihespia } and after a
| short visit TO Thsbe, | crossed the Gulf of Corinth
and, having passed a few days at Corinth. | return
| Ell to Athens by the way Of Nlegura, aud thence by
water between sslamis and Eleusis, through the
| very straits where the feet of Xerxes was defeated.
At my return, was informed that the Greeks in
tended to make an assault the signal for which
was TO be the explosion OF a mine. Ladders were
| prepared, and people flocked from the country to
| take a part in the assault. The evening before, the
! Bishop of Atheus offered up a prayer IN presence OF
ali the people promised to the faithful. dissolution
.or their sins aud pointed to heaven, where, as in
the time of Constantine, the clouds were shaped in
the form of a cross, which, by the aid Of a pious
Imagination, was taken az a good omen. The mine
was sprung on the 29th of Aprli, al hour before
| day-break; 1t did considerable damage, and several
Turks were killed by it, but IN "A moment the
whole garrison was on the alert basketsful of
stones were thrown down on the assailants, and a
murderous fire kept up tor some minutes, when, 1t
beng foIud out that the ladders were too short, the
Greeks gave up the attempt, and retired, with a loss
| of from forty to fifty men, into the town. The few
Germans and Swiss that happened to be at Athens
at the time, were all present at the assault; one OF
whom was killed, and two others wounded. After
this unsuccessful attack, the Greeks bean im!ne-
dlatcly to dig a new niue, by which il was iu,end-
ed to blow up the fenitian tower 10 the right of the
Propylpuin, ~nauking the last gate Of the citadel
| III Mas Ol IdTuuiOuut importance " iolCC ne i Ms
10 surrender before the threatened invasion OF
Choursit Pacha (wno was collecting a considerable
body oftroops in Thessaly) might force the Their
mopyln. A Turkish lad, who had succeeded in
making his escape from the Acropolis, brought in
formation to the Greeks that the Turks sulfereG
greatly by disease aud want Of water, the season be-
ing extremely dry, and their cistcrns being nearly
exhausted, or containing unwholesome water
This statement was corroborated by two Turkish
women, who shortly afterwards, in open day by
means of ropes fastened to the walls, ventured to
| slide down along the rocks, and, protected by pro-
| jecting stones, waited until the twilight of the eve
! n,ng allowed them to pass the open ground between
the fortress and the town. They even affirmed, that
water had become so scarce, that within a few
weeks the Turks would be obliged to surrender
they further SAID, that, during tie most oppressive
heat of the day, scarcely Il man remained behind
the loop holes that they all retii ed TO $ eep, and
that the women alone were on the lookout, but
that the men were al their post. during the night.
II was considefeG 10y the Greeks as a very provi.
| de4tial ere instance, that the dry weather contin-
ued throu. lDu, the whole season, without a single
rainy day. ne cloud" were seen sometimes gath
erin. over the A~cropoiis, ia. o. their blessings a few
irop5 only ieil occasionally ON The hero... and
th.n the Turks we're observed scrantilns ~, ..e
walls Of the Parthenon. to catch, with spOnses. the
little humidity that was to be found on the marbles.
Que day, n Turkish woman was seen with a Jug Ia
| her hanu, near the temple OF ErectheuS, so as To be
recognized by one OF her friends in the town, aud
turning it thrice upside down, as IA sign that they
| were in need Of water. Under these circumstances,
the Turks gave a proof of their kindness towards
animals, that might be triumphontly quoted by the
member for Galway. A great number Of donkcys
had been carried up to the A~cropoli. by them, and
| they kept them, although they did not want them,
until the extreme scarcity OF water forbade them
to keep them any longer. But rather than kill
| them, they oontrived, by means Of ropes, to let
| them DO wn in the night from the citadel and the
| Greeks divided the booty that had been delivered
over TO them.
From day TO day the distress in the Acropolis in
| creased, and despair began to creep into the boldest
heart. The lower ard poorer class of the Turks
wished to capitulate but the grsndees rejected,
| with proud perseverance,, to the last, every susges-
| ton Of surrender. They assured the people, at one
| time, that Choursit Pacha was approaching to their
| relief; at another time, that the Capudan Pacha
| had put TO sea with his fleet, to come to their assist
| ance some proposed TO kill all their women, and 10
| make a sally into the town, and thus to sell their
lives dearly. But one thing remained yet to be
done. A large SUN was offered to any one that
would attempt TO make his way through the
Creeks, in order to inform Choursit Pacha OF
| the dreadful situation Of the Turks of Athens
| Two ofsre themselves for this hazardous enter
| prize they 20, As lar as Cassia, but they were ar
rested. One of them was Immediately killed, his
| head sent to Athens, and shown upon a pole to the
| Turks; the other was brought back TO assure them,
| verbally, that their last hope had failed. Not a mo.
ment was TO he lest, for II had been ascertained that
he cisterns had only water for three days longer.
They asked for a suspension OF hostilities il was