Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-09-01

mOrla during our uay = journey mus iar, tne
surface OF the country has been rolling, and
mostly arabic The plowmen are turning their
burrows for the Spring sowing, or, as sometimes
seen, are blowing In the seed which Is first scat
tered on the sward. Sometimes the seed, as Of
peas or potatoes, are dropped in every second or
third furrow-ditch and covered by the next pass
ing OF the plow. The sower can hardly plant too
deeply, for, after few weeks no rain falls on
these plains till Autumn. The focks which, un.
der the shepherds care pasture during the Win
ter in these lowlands will, in April May, be-
gin to ascend the mountains or be driven north
ward toward the more fertile and better watered
plains of Thessaly. We halt for the midday
lunch at Eremo-Castro, and, while waiting till
the horses are ready, examine some old bas-
reefs in the walls Of the village church, and find
in dimly-lighted museum, several sarcophagi,
broken columns, and few really fine, though
somewhat mutilated, busts and statues From
this point for more than two hours we press on
north ward, over hills and through ravines, till we
strike, at the ninety-ffth klometer-stone from
Athens, the high-road-the only one In this north
ern district-which leads from Thebes to Lebadea.
On the lonely cross-path we pass a ruined castle
which, till ten years ago, was the headquarters OF
brigand chief, and two watchtowers in the vicin-
ity seemed TO have been used as place Of lying
,n.,vai, for travelers For all the earlv mart of
tbis dav we bave before M the sharnlv.risinp
sou,boas,err ,eak ~ Mount uel;con but later
IVA leave tbis MT our left and. "a wa reach the
nos,roaa turr esterlv and direct,v face the lofty
broad hold snov.canned brow NJ Monnt parnas-
ana. From the Gulf Of Coruth we had watched
ito summit as IL was kindlinp under the finger
~ Aurora. now We zee II mantled in the crimson
tide set.li0bt and follow the shadows as thew
| oroo, over ;,s irdepted a;des Our road hence
sLirts and ovar,ooks tho copaic marsb After the
snr;r, ra,ns ,b,s marsh bacomas n ,ake twentv-
Ave miles lonv and nearly half as wide lint the
wator soon drains of and n considerable mart il
,,or,ed With corn and cotton put tho rea;on IA
unhealthy and the peo,le all dwell, on the unlands
surrorndiro Inst helow the vlage of Coronea
we hear the notes nj the shenberds nine-a real
Arcadian nine sucb ma Pan nlaved an and the
young Amaryllis accompanied with song-and
have Tho ,,rs, o,imnses ~ an Fastern shee,fo,d
This Ia a simple circular enclosure made here in
the absence of timber of mindless of thorn-busb
standing ,nright in doube mr. trinle rows and
hound tooa,bar bv tw;gs mr. nv ;nterlac;ny cane
s,alks-sucb as are used in Italy for the support
nj vines On one aide. some times without but
mora freouentlv within the fold ia a lint of canes
tba,chea with straw for the nae of the sbepherd.
Occasionally little space in the fold will be COW
erred az ma IN protect the aoc,, from the winds or
cold rains II was fuIlv an hour after the last
,w,,;cbt had Vanished when we drew nm at the
Lhan of Iehadea Tho domicile was not very in.
,,;ro so urn dao;dad IN rresent Mt once tho letter
NJ introduction given IN ma MT Athens tn the
mavor nj the town and ask His advice concerning
lodgngs To our surprise he insisted ON playipp
the host himself and. calling to his aid the propr.
etor Of French cafe. did everything for our com.
fort The next morning under the guidance Of
his servant we visited the caves one OF which was
the seat of the oracle of Prophonius.-an oracle
hardly Less famous than that at Delphi. We
found four or five large cayerns in the cliff that
oyerbangs the town. but no one of them could be
identified as the undoubted abode of either priest
or sybil. The fountains which issue from unde
the hill two of which were anciently called tn,
Springs of Memory and Forgetfulness, are ever
more interesting than the oracles. Out from tn,
solid rock in three or four places pour larp,
streams OF water sufficient to furnish ampl,
mower for twelve cotton and wooden mills anc
, other manufactures This IA the Mapcheste
' NJ Creece and the most enternrisnp town in III,
! north NJ the kingdom The cotton raised ON tn
Copac plain is here ginned, and what is no
, converted into cloth, is transported to the Pr
: 1us. Wine. Indian corn, wheat and barley ar
also large products of the fertile fields Of this dis
trict About eight miles from Lebadea, Jus
across the MINER end of the Copaic plain is tn
!. ancient site of Orchomenus. Three things her
U are of interest First, an early Christian monas
I terv. the chapel of which has in its walls drum
:, | 81 ,n,,,ons ard ,,iacas NJ arcbitrave some n