The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-10-10

world, and still showing to us the cave
where Homer Is said to have composed
| the "llial," and 90 grand nld citadel
crumbling on the brow Of the Acropolis,
! commanding one of the loveliest lauG-
scapes of the world, aud tn, smphi>
theater where Polyoarp suffered martyr
dom ages ago. He who has once seen
Smyrna, and enjoyed it's hospitalities
and attractions, is never content Till he
| has seen 1t again.
1t Is q city Of one hundred and fifty
| thousand Inhabitants, at the bottom OF
u beautiful bay skirted by ragged noun.
tains. 1t is almost q European city, so
large is the number OF foreigners and
| Christians, and is called by the Mos
lens intidel Smyrna. Its confections
are noted through )ut the Leyant; and
as tor its figs, who has not eaten themf
There is short railway running to
| Ailin by way OF Ephesus, which brings
some OF the figs to Smyrna in August,
but the larger quantity are still brought
| across the famous Caravan Bridge BY
solemn trains OF camels, led by driver
mounted on diminutiYe donkey, and
marching to the doleful tom-tom OF u
rude bell attached to the saddle OF the
leading camel.
The iigs, green or purple, when ripe
| and pear-sDaped, and containing Il
| scarlet pulp within illumined bya GEN.
ter OF golden seeds, are brought in bas-
kets and emptied on mats in the courts
| where the foreign merchants have their
| magazines and Offices. Peasant women
| then squeeze the tigs into the shape they
| nave when dried. They are then dipped
| in brine, and after a few days OF drying,
| are packed in drums. Few things are
more delicious than u Smyrna hg when
just picked In the early morning while
yet glistening with dew.
The so-called smyrna carpets are
chiefly brought thither for expectation
from Ushak, where they are woven or
wrought by hand. the women who do
the work being left largely to their own
artistic Instincts In working out the
pattern. Regularity or precision OF de-
sign Is not sought after, as in our car
peis, so much as certain breadth oil
effect and harmony Of fiat tints. A good
Ushak carpet should last thirty-fve to
| torty years In constant use, and the
colors should only disappear with the
texture into which they are woven,
But the Introduction OF aniline
dyes, and the partially success.
| full attempts to manufacture
them by other processes, in England,
have, it is to be feared, made the Turkey
carpet, like Japanese broAzes and pot
teries, thing Of the past. The famous
Smyrna porters all cune from Ushak;
when lad Of the lower classes is born
there, it is said by the friends, "May he
become a good Smyrna porterW I'm.
mense strength Is Induced in the young
aspirant by a systematic training,
and when he is OF age he leaves
for Smyrna. The pack alone wnloh
these men carry weighs heavily,
and the loads they sustain exceed
anything OF the sort performed by
the porters In any other CITY. Five, six,
seven hundred pounds are not uncom-
mon loads for them to carry, and have
| known OF one who bore over nine hun.
dred pounds once. Smyrna has Tor the
last thirty years been notorious for its
brigands, who have sometimes been So
bold that they have carried even Con-
| suls into the mountains, and levied a
heavy ransom on them; and by being in
league with ooufederales among the res
idents have, by Tears OF secret assassi-
nation, forced contributions from the
strong boxes OF some OF the leading
Christians OF Smyrna.-lHarpers Mag
azine for October.