Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-06-09

and blue, long stockings and greaves OF every hue,
white kits, embroidered vests, and over all the
cdpote of sheep-skin or goats-hair cloth. COM
mon attire Of the peasants is made entirely Of
mixed coarse wool and goats-har. It is almost
as rough as sacking and is of dirty cream color,
very like the inside of a newly shorn oily fleece of
wool Much to our regret, we are detained here
four days. One Of them is Sunday. The day is
more than half-holiday. The people from the
country around swarm in and the mules which
bear them are, on some Of the streets, tied three
of four deep. Provision, fruit, bread and tobacco
shops are open as usual, fish is on sale on the
quays occasionally n shoemaker is at work at his
bench tailor sits cross-legged at his table, and
more than once we see butchers dressing their
lambs on the sidewalk, while passers-by turn out
for them. In the afternoon there is music on the
public square and the center is made the fashion
able promenade, while the margin is covered with
tables for coffee and benches for smoking with
the ndrghleh or water pipe. People sit with open
doors and windows, while the mountains only
few miles southwark are covered with snow. Yet
it is little too cool for comfort unless one keeps
in the sunlight, and brazier Of charcoal must be
occasionally ordered. The currant grape is
large product of the plain of Patras and this year.
in the failure of the grapes in France these cur
rants are largely exported thither and used for
making wine.
Thursday morning, January 29th after waiting
much OF the night for the steamer we start at two
A. NJ, for Athens. 1t was rough embarking, and
the sleepy Albanians blocked up the gangway so
that it was almost impossible to get on board. We
are enough in need of sleep ourselves, yet count
the delay good fortune since it gives us nearly the
whole length of the gulf of Corinth by daylight
Atdawn we are on deck The sky is afame The
mountains, -northward, Zygos, Parnassus, He'll
con,-southward, Cyene, all famous in legend
and Hydrologic story,-change from deep purple
to roseate and then to the brightness of crystals
set in silver as the sun appears and mounts the
upward way. 1t was like fairy-land, and held us
almost spell-bound. We pass the site of Sicyon,
face Acro-Cornth, peak which rises two thou
sand feet out of an almost level plain have, with
the aid of the glass, survey of the ruins Of Old
Corinth, and little before noon disembark at
New Corinth. We are hence transported across
the isthmus, about four miles, in carriages to
Kalamak where we take another steamer for
our destination. The whole way is full of inter-
est. The traces of the ship canal begun by Nero,
the scattered stones of the old Isthmian wall, the
probable spot of the Isthmian games, Ceuchrea,-
now ninhabted-where was the early church to
which Phoebe ministered and where Paul made
his vow, 4Egna with its temple-crowned heights
on our vessels right, sea-born Salamis the left
and behind it the bay where proud Xerxes was
first humiliated,- are keys which unlock vol
umes of history and make intensely real the
events which were before only things that had
left behind dim appartions. With what eager
ness we strained our eyes for the first glimpse of
Athens! As we rounded the southern extremity
of Salamis, we mounted pile of baggage that we
might look over the quarterback, and soon,
though we were yet twelve miles away there
came in rapid succession the cries: Mt. Parues'
Mt. Hymettus," "Lycabettus,' "There it is,
the Acropolis, ." The kings palace" " Athens, at
lastV' 1t was nearly dark when we anchored in
the harbor of Pirieus the port of Athens, and the
day was more than done when we had driven
over the site of the western of the long walls for
the intervening distance of five miles, and were
set down at the Hotel des Strangers.
ii. r. FULLER