Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1853-11-29


view fron,s Pentelicus is very extensive, embrsins
the Field ioi Marathon, Athefsi fhc AeroPolF off
Corinth, Ealamis, Nesropont and damascus v liie
we were on tIe mountain, French war steamer
was practcing in the little harbor where the great
hattle-ef aaFais was fought. TheNsnleke and fire I
ofil,e-auns could be seen distinctly, but We could
not hear the report. As l stood gazing with py /
glass at the livid flames issfng fom'her guns was
fsfcibly reminded of that celebrated engagement, |
the history ofwhieh used to dwell upon with !
wonder and admiration in my school boy days.
Returning to the city very rapidly we assembled
Mount Lycabettus, situated in the suburbs, and
crowned with the small church. of St. George 1t
is higher than the Acrepolis and furnishes decidedly
the bestview of the plain, and the peculiarities of
the physical form which distinguish Athens SO re-
nlarlSabiy from all other places -. q i Il i..-'ss
4 Having somewhat taste for politics. / frequent
y attended the sitting of the Greek Parliament The
building is quite plain, but sufficiently large and
good to answer all purposes. In the lower House
the walls are filed with the names of those who
disting uished themselves in the atesRevolution i
noticed in the collection the names of Lord Byron,
Marco Bozzaris &c. A member occupied the
Tribune when we were there last, who spoke in o
strain Of eloquence that is rarely heard in modern
times. He spoke in an ardent and enthusiastic
manner, reminding me forcibly of the orations of
Demosthenes and the orators who harrangued the
Senate when Greece was in the zenith of her glory
Most ofthe members were dressed in their nation-
al costume, which l admire exceedingly, and sat
with their rrlez on in the same manner as in the
English Parliament. The Senate is a very small
body compared with the House. and the members
are mostly old men who have distinguished them
selves in the cause Of their country The people Of
Greece have very little confidence in the honesty of
their representatives and seem to regard King Ohio
as a youngma of very little capacity g. Taft
While in Athens we were invited to a party at
the Peiraeus given by the Rev. Dr. Buel, an Arneri-
can Missionary, where we met the two daughters
of the celebrated Marco Bozzaris, and the Maid of
Athens, now Mrs. Black The young ladies were
dressed in the Greek fashion-conversed uently in
English-and are every way fit representatives of
the great Suliote chief The readers of Byron will
be shocked to learn that the Maid of Athens united
her fortunes with English Policeman named
Black, and is now the mother of whole host Of lit
tie blacks. This is what you might term step
from the sublime to the ridiculous, but when she
informed me that Byron in love with her mother
and dedicated his poetry to her when but child, it
palliated, in some measure, my disappointment and
excused her for propagating the black race.
The next day we visited the American mission
airy school established by the Rev. Messrs HILL and
ROBINSON, in 1880. They went as the agents of the
Episcopal Missionary Society, and have succeeded
in building up a school that would reflect credit up
on any country. This is certainly an ever-changing
world. Athens was once the great centre of learn
ing and the fine arts. Here Socrates, and Plato,
and Aristotle taught and Cicero went to study
and young America is paying back the debt which
the world owes to the mother Of science. From
the school room we repaired to Mr.. Huns resi-
dence, where we had the pleasure of meeting
number of American and English familes-seyeral
old Greek Senators and their daughters besides
number of strangers from different countries
Among the guests was the daughter of Swedish
Count, who married an Athenian woman. This
young lady was just sweet sixteen and without
exception themost beautifuland fascinating creature
that my eyes ever rested upon. Her form and
features were Greacian, with the fair complexion
and vivacity of the Swede She spoke six languages
with great Auency, and was just making her debut
in society. fell desperately in love Of oouse--and
what was a little strange my friend TOMBSTONE, of
s. c., found himself in the same interesting situa-
ton. had experienced the feeling before, and
wondered to myself how ever became so deeply
enamored with creature so different in every res
pect from the Counts daughter. TOMBSTONE, how
ever, seemed so earnest in his attentions that I
yielded the field to him, and passed most of the
evening with the adopted daughter of Mr.. HILL
called ELIZABETH of Crete, who is not quite so beau
tiful person. but in point of intellect and qualities
Of the heart, she has no superior. Hereafter when
think of the classic city, the images of these two
bright creatures viii come wildly before me, and
will long to be once more in Greece I....s.-
Yours &c, TESNEssEAS.