New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-10-22
BAYARD TkYLOR'S LETTERS.
LII


After three days and four nights in quard1-
tine II Adana, Or. SPaGSoLo gave us prati2Re,
end We lost no time in getting under way again.
The plain on tie west side of the town Is well
cultivated. and as We lie along toward Tar
sus. was charmed with the rich pastoral alrOt
the scenery. II was like one Of the indian
landscapes of England. bathed in Southern sun
shine. TIE beautiful level, stretching away TO
the mountains, stood golden with the fields OF
wheat which the reapers were cutting. IL was
no longer bare bat dotted with orange groves,
cumns of holly, AMI number ct mlgnihceh,
terebinth trees, whose dark rounded masses OF
foliage remind one of thc Northern OAK. Cattle
were grazing in tie srubble AMI horses almost
buried under loads Of fresh grass, met US as they
passed 10 the city. The sheaves were drawn 70
the thresling-hoOr on sleds, and We coul see
the husbandmcn in the distance treatlnI our
and winnowng the grain. Over these bright,
busy scenes, rose the lesser nights OF the Ian
rus, and beyond them, mingled in white clouds,
the SHOWS of the browning range.
The road 70 Tarsus, which is eight hours DIS
tant. lies over an unbroken plain. Toward the
sea there are TWO tumuli, resembling those ON
the plains east of Antioch. Stone wells, with
trouchs for watering horses, occur az Intervals
Of three or four miles but there Is little cult
walton after leaving the vicinity of Adana. The
sun poured down an intense summer heat, auI
hundreds Of large gad-hes, svarning around Us,
drove the horses wild with their stings. In the
afternoon gust, sweeping along the sides OF
Taurus. cooled the Fir ana afforded Us a little
relief Bv three o'clock We reached the river
Cydpus, which is bare of trees on lis eastern
side, but flows between banks covered with
grass and shrubs 1t is still spanned by tie an-
ciont bridge, and the mules now step IN the hol-
low ruts worn long ago by Roman AMI Byzan-
tine chariot wheels The stream is not moro
than thirty yards broad, but has very full AMI
rapid current of u bluish-white color, from the
| SHOWS which feed If. | rode down 10 the brink
/ and drank a cup OF the water. lt wGs exceed
/ inply cold. and do not wonder that bath in il
should have killed the Emperor Blrbarossa.
/ From the top of the bridge there is lovely
/ view down the stream, where il washes atringc
/ of willows and heavy fruit-trees on its western
! bank and then winds away through the grassy
plain, to tie sea. For once, my fancy ran par
allrl with the inspiration of the scene. could
think OF nothing but the galley of Cleopatra
! slowly stCmming the current of the stream, Its
silk, n seis filed with the sea-breeze, It's gilde1
oaIs keeping time 20 the flutes whose vOIuptu
ous melodies noated far out over the vernal
meadows. Tarsus was probably almost hidden
then. as now by its gardens, except just where
il touched The river, aud the dazzling vision Of
tao Egyptian Queen, as she came up conquering
and 20 conquer, must have been all the more
bevilderlng. trrm the lovely bowers thrOu n
which lie sailed.
From the bridge an ancient road still lcadsto
tie old byzantine gate of Tarsus PART of the
town is cncCmlaSscd by avail. built by the Ca
I lIh IiAROUN AI-RtsCHID and there is ruined
fortress. which is atti butcd % Sultan BiJAyEr
Snail streams brought from the Cydnus ira
verse tie tnviroIs, and, with such fertile soil
/ tie luNurisHce of tie gardens IN which the city
les buried i ALMOST incredible. The houses
ale mostly at one story. aud the materials are
Almost wholly borrowed flom the ancient city
/ Pillars, capitals, fragments OF cCrnccs anI en-
tablaturcs abound. In our search for the Ar.
ncnian CLuIch which is said 10 have been
founded 10y Sr. PAUL, (''>oul of Tarsus, We
cane uIon q mosque, which had been originally
Il Christian Church, OF Greek times. From tue
top of mound, whereupOn stand the remains
OF an ancient circular cdiiise We obtained fine
view of the city and plain OF rarsus. 4 few
/ lCusCs or clusters of houses stood here ami
there like reefs amid the billogy green, and the
minGTets-One of them with nest of young
} stOlks On is very summif-IOse like the misrs
/ Of sUhkCn ships. Some palms lifted their TUT
ed heads from the gardens, beyond which the
gIeGI plain extended from the mountains e. tho
scl. The tumulus near Mersyn, the port OF
Taurus was plainly visible Two hours from
+ McTln are the ruins OF pompciopois, the name
gwen by loNPEY Ia the town OF Soil after the
/ conquest OF tie Cllican pirates. From Soil, on
account OF the bad Greek spoken by It's inhabi-
ttnts, cine the term "sO.rcism." The ruins
/ Of Pen PEI, polls consist Of a thcater, temples.
and a n lnbcr of houses, sill in good preserya-
ton. Tie Whole coast, as lar as Aleya three
INN. fuHsNN w..He Il. =
with ruined cities, and regrer exceedingly that
tine vii not permit me to explore il.
Willie searching Tor the antiquities about
Taisus- acccsted man in a Frank dress who
proved 10 be the Neapolitan Consul lie told
- thtt tie most remarkable relic was the
DEAIicsA, (the Round S5one,) and procured us
aeulCe. Ii lies in a garden east of fhe city and
Is certainly one OF the most remarkable mon1-
CDis II tie East IL consists of sdlar,. ia.
Clrsure of solid masonry, 35D feet lonr by la
vide, tie walls of which are l. feet in thickness
tId y iect high. Il appears 10 have been origj.
naliy sold mass, without entrance. but mas.
sage las been bIokenin one placa and in another
tttre Is spltor assure, evident y produced bv
az earthquake he material is rough stone.
bIlok sad ortNr Inside OF the inclosure are
TWO et'@cAeC square masses OF masonry. of
equal hight, and probably 81 feet ON a siIe
Nitl'ut opening OF any kind. One of Them has
been pierced at the bottom. a srrrp n,sso-,o
loao he TO pit az well, but the sides or tbe ms.
sage tluS br' keI indicate that the whole srru,.
tue IS one solid mass. II is generally p,o.ad
Il Il q cy were intended as tombs: hui of whom
There is no sign b. which they NAV he racog.
nized, end, what is mere singular. no trad,rinn
CCncelLsnc them.
he 90! We reached Tarsus was the irst of
tie Turkish iast-month Of Ralnszap tne ;rbsh
tanis Iaying seen the new moon the ni~br hs
i.Ie ~ Ad@na. where they did not keeD snct y
close look out, the last had not commenced Oar
ing ns continuance, which is from twentyeiybtto
tweLty.nine days no Mussulman dare ear 5rinL
or sh' he. irum an hour before sunrise t;n hal;