Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-06-09
Mafrhman d Jum1mL
THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1880.
Glimpses Of the Orient-.-NO. 8.
FROM ITHACA TO ATHENS.

not laid down in the schedule Is often as delight
full as the appearance of a meteor in the sky is
sometimes quite the reverse. We had two of
these little surprises before leaving the land of
Ulysses On the afternoon of the second day
there came an invitation to call at the d" best
house in town." as the sailor messenger who
could muster little broken English termed it,
We were nothing 10th to accept, since opportu-
mites to anything OF the home-lie of stranger
people are not frequent The sailor led the way
and became in part our interpreter. We find the
" best house" one of the highest on the hillside
OF Bathy. 1t is built of stone, Is of two stories,
plainly plastered within, and the floors are of wood
instead of the cement or stone generally found in
ordinary Greek dwellings. We are ushered into
the best room upstairs 1t is furnished with a
round center table, piano, sofa and chairs. Two
or three patriotic priests hang on the walls, and
there is single small rug on the floor. Half
dozen Of the family meet us at the door, and the
rest gradually appear till at length we find that
the total membership is eighteen, twelve being
children of our host, and the others to be ac-
counted for, more remote relatives. Two or three
of the older daughters are, with their raven hair
and coa-black, lustrous eyes very pretty, and the
boys are bright and laxative One of them
speaks little French, our slight stock of modern
Greek is drawn upon to its full extent, and with
the help of the sailor and of the family album
which never fails when other springs are dry,
we manage to make communications that are at
least Ineligible. Refreshments of cake Jelly,
and wine are offered, and in half an hour, after
exchange of thanks for the satisfying of curiosity
on both sides, we retire.
The second episode was worthy of note only as
it illustrated a prominent feature of Greek char
acter. Since Bathy boasts of no hotel, we lodged
with The keeper of a coffee-shop and ate the
products of his purveyance. When we first asked
for his bill, host, Spero, very courteously re-
piled; " Give just what you please" certain
sum was suggested by one of the party to the rest
of us as ample But it seemed hardly sufficient
to satisfy Mr.. Spero, who must have overheard
and understood the number of francs II nothing
more. The sequel was an item of accounts pre-
scented at the moment of embarkation, which was
entirely astounding and which was rendered the
more unsatisfactory to us from the fact that we
were utterly unable to get back the five francs Of
change which was the difference between our bill
and his. He would, however, settle with the
boatman. Greek did not meet Greek then, but
we were sharper afterwards
Our voyage hence took us northeastwards along
the coast OF Santa Maura, an island whose lofty
white limestone cliffs now crested with
whittier snow, and must appear much as they did
to the eyes of Eneas when he called them MINI
bosd cdcniinG. This is the Leucas of the ancients
and here on a jutting cape are shown the sub
structures of temple of Apollo. Near it is the
Lovers Leap"
e The very spot where sappho sung
Her swan-like music, she sprung
(still holding in that fearful leap
by her loved lyTel into the deep,
And dying quenched the fatal fire
At once Of bot her heart and Tyre"
Orchards OF the olive and the orange, and vine
yards cover much of the valleys, and near the
north end of the island where it almost touches
the main land is a considerable town, also called
Santa Maura We halt mile away from it and
wait long enough for exchange of passengers and
freight with the small boats that put out to u.s.
Then our steamer steers for the coast of Acarna-
mia. On the way we look through the strait to
the promontory of Actium and see where Antony
lost and Augustus won an empire The northern
limit of the Greek kingdom on this western coast
is not far from u.s. and the governor of this outer
province comes on board at our next hating
place. He is an intelligent and courteous gentle
man with the dress aud bearing of Frank. His
subjects are mostly Of Albanian stock and cling to
the shaggy coats and rufed skirts of their ances-
tors. Some Of them are on board one OF two
have antique coins, and on our Directing to the al
most fabulous prices, cooly produce the price list
OF Paris dealers in numismatics and tell us that
they ask no more But the coins did not answer
TO the descriptions pointed out and it soon became
evident that the word franc and the Arabic nota-
ton the sum total of their knowledge of the
French language The sea west Of Acarnana is
studded with group of islands called the Echi-
nades, or Porcupine islands. They are high,
rough with jagged limestone whence the name)
and for the most part uninhabted But the
scenery is extremely interesting, every half hour
giving new and charming vista Nearly all day
we have on our left the snow-clad southern spurs
OF Mount Pindus, and, just as we turn eastward
towards the Gulf Of Corinth, there opens before
us the broad valley Of the Achelous, the largest
river in Greece. Late in the afternoon we anchor
OFF Mesolongh the chief town Of northwestern
Greece, and famous for its seige by the Turks for
ten months in 1926. Here Lord Byron died of fever
in 1924, and very near, in the plain Of Karpenis
AT midnight in his guarded
The Turk dreaming :"
when Marco Bozzaris and his Suliote band broke
their sumbers with the war cry The body of
Bozzars was buried at Mesolonghi and marble
statue wrought and presented by the sculptor,
David OF Paris, now marks the spot. From this
point we cross the gulf to Patras the largest city
Of the Morea and, next to syria and Pirgus, the
busiest commercial town Of Greece, Its popua-
ton is about twenty-five thousand, and the dress
and habits OF the people are more thoroughly
Greek than in any other seaport we have visited.
The costumes are Of great variety and often strik-
ing. The Turkish and the Greek fez are both
worn. A form OF the latter, of red, white, or
black color with tassel Of gilt or broidered silk
intertwned with hair, is common among the