Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1840-12-10
III { s g T. L. Z. A " x .
From the United States Gazette.


MEMORANDA OF A TOUR IN THE EAST
The PuGus-- Tomb Of Them;Stocles- The
Long WaHs-Entrdnce 10 Aliens The
Revolution and It's Chiefs--The Bara-
rian Dynasty.
We were somewhat taken by surprise,
on finding ourselves in the harbor of the
Plf@us. We were looking at the rude
monument of Miauls, the celebrated Greek
Admiral Of the late Revolution, which
stands upon the shores of the gulf, when
our captain gave the order f" Helm a
port, and we rounded into the Pirmus.
The entrance is narrow, and the harbor,
being encompassed by high bills, is alto
gether concealed from external view. As
we gIaed over the smooth waters Of the
har6or, the captain pointed to some blocks
OF marble beneath the water, and par
TALLY submerged sarcophagus, as the tomb
Of Ihemstocles. 1t was most appropri
ately placed within sigh: OF the gulf Of
Salamis, so that the Atheniaus, when they
looked upon the tomb of the hero, might,
at glance, revert to the scene Of his
glorious achievements.
" BY the seas margin, on the watery strand,
Thy monument, Themsiocles shall stand;
BY this directed, 10 thy native shore,
The merchant shall convey his ftefghted store
And when our fleets are summon'd TO The fight,
Atheas shall conquer with thy tomb in sight"
The PoET Plato.
Two piers are placed near the mouth of
the harbor, to narrow the entrance. On
one Of these piers, before the taking Of
Athens by the Venitians, stood the Lion,
which now frowns defiance before the
gate Of the arsenal at Venice. A high
promontory OF rock encloses the harbor
on the east side. II is covered with mass
es of stone, which are remains of the old
Notifications. The harbor, indeed, being
so narrow ofentrance, and surrounded by
such high land, could easily be protected,
by improving the defences Of nature. In
the palmy days of Athens, it was covered
with fleets of merchantmen and gallies
We saw only few provision boats and
fishing craft, and man Of war from that
far off Isle, whose existence was unknown
to the " Wise Men of Greece"
We landed at the quay Of the Lazaret.
to. We were Immediately led to our
quarters in the Lazaretto, whittier we
were followed by an officer of the quar-
antne, who graciously informed us that
our term of quarantine was ten days.
1t is hard to submit to these involuntary
restrictions on ones liberty, and particu.
larry when arrested on the Threshold OF
an interesting country, where the curiosi-
ty is intense, and impatient of gratifca-
ton. A traveller must initiate the phios-
ophy Of the Orientals, which never suffers
the mind to be disturbed by the passing
incidents OF life. We submitted with a
forced resignation to the lnexorable me-
cessity Of the case, ordered pipes and cof.
fee, and when our eyes did not happen to
glance upon the high walls and gratngs
Of our prison, forgot that we were prison.
ers. Ten days, however, soon passed
away, aad we were restored to liberty.
Jumping into one OF the many hackney
coaches, which were waiting the arrival
of IA steamer, we set off for Athens. We
passed through the little village at the
harbor, which, with its houses of frame,
painted white and green window shut
tiers, looks quite American. The road to
Athens, about five miles from the Pirnus,
is Macadamized. The materials derived
from the stone Of the old walls. As we
drove along, we saw remains OF the Long
Walls, which were built by Themistocles,
70 secure a communication between the
city and its three harbors. These walls
ware more than six miles in length, and
wide enough to admit two chariots abreast.
They embraced the adjoining harbors OF
the Pir@us, Munychia, and phalerum. -
The avenue between the walls was orna-
mented with the statues of the great men
of Athens-th poets, statesmen, and war.
riors, whose names are as "famliar as
household words" to all who know any
thing of the most iliustrious characters Of
history. la the time Of Themistocles,
the Pirmus was a town Of itself, with its
! squares, theatres, AgoD and was the seat