The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-09-13
Letter from an Eastern Traveller.

To the Editor Of tAe Press
Were you ever In Syracuse? DO not mean
In the State of New York, but that old city
near the southeast corner OF the Isiaho Oh oic-
lily. 1t was for many ages in possession oil the
Greeks. and a truly Grecian city. Its popuia-
,,on Il said at one period to have numbered
one million and half / ,5o00 00l; though that
NAV admit of some doubt. The steamer which
took me from Naplesto Malta spent one day
at Messina, another at Catania. and third at
syracuse. So | had an opportunity to look
shout little. The antiquities and ruins are
vastly more interesting and extensive than i
had anticipated, and regretted not having
more time for explorations. The principal
church in tho modern city is said to have been
originally and in part at least, temple OF Mi
nerva = although it has undergone many
changes. The Fountain Of Arethusa', OF clas-
sic fame, is still flowing; and strange as it may
seem, company OF washerwomen were avah-
ing themselves of its sweet waters. PROBABLY
they had never heard OF Arethusa. La gong
out of the modern city toward the north, we
passed through five gates and over four draw
bridges, and soon we're among the RUNS oil the
old city. Here Is a vast amphlthestre hewn In
the rock by Grecian chisses, and in fine state
of preservation. Yonder is another, built by
the Romans at a later period. There is the ver-
table tomb OF that famous mathematician
Archimedes-who loved to reason with figures
and diagrams, and who used to think he could
move the world with lever, if he only had a
place TO stand upon. Poor fellow he didn't
know how rapidly the world is whirling along
its pathway through space. Some OF his pro.
positions have come down to us, and they are
very beautiful. Here is his tomb with its orig.
inal inscription In ancient Greek character s
still legible.
But the most wonderful of all the antiqui.
ties to be seen here, is that great dungeon
called in one of my school books fifty years
ago-"The Ear of Dionysius the Tyrant OF Sy
racuse." Many "elderly men" will no doubt
remember it. The prison was very large, ir
regular in its shape, constructed on the prin.
ciple, and in a measure after the model of the
human ear. The walls OF this vast enclosure
on three sides. are solid rock, the remainin.
side being a massive stone wall. The roof o.
covering must, think, have been more thar
dfty feet from the ground. In the interior
number OF small rooms had been excavate,
where gerry bad fellows might be taken care O
At night. High up in one corner of this sin
gular, irregular enclosure, was a small open
ing where, il you sat down on the outside an.
acid your ear in the right position, you nigh
hear every word and almost every whisper ut
tered in the prison. A small pocket pistol dis
charged in the interior by fellow TRAVELLER
seemed to me the most perfect imitation {
thunder ever heard. The prison was cor
structed by tyrant who wished to know whs
his victims might say about him after the
were thrown into this dungeon. The labo
and expense of constructing such an enormou
"Ear" as this, must have been immense fc
they had no powder to help them. This ar
| cient city was situated on large and beaut
iul bay, once the theatre of fierce naval ba
tie described by Thucidydes.
The Apostle Paul, on his last voyage I
Rome, tarried at Syracuse "three days" an
probably saw what have described. Sicil,
like nearly all the rest OF the then know
world, was at that time under the dominion {
Rome. The writer of The Acts who was
companion of Paul, says, From thence "
fetched Compass and came TO Rhegium."
has been Observed By some shrewd people, tn,
here is the Oldest record we have of the aMa
lner's Compass" AGAMEMNos.
August, 1854.