Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-02-18
Written for the Free Press
lettings Of Travel.

from CONSTANTINoPLE TO MARsEliLEs.
From Constautinople westward the travel
Ter may choose one of the many routes. A
railroad runs directly west with the plan of
ultimately affording an all-rail route to
Vienna and Paris, but this road is far from
completed Only the more hardy and adj
venturous would tax themselves unneces-
sarily with two hundred miles of wagon
and horseback travel Some go to Varna at
the western extremity of the Black Sea and
thence up the Danube to Vienna, others pass
through the Mediterranean, visiting various
points of interest, Others still, go direct to
Liverpool by way of Gibraltar and the
Bay of Biscay We decided to take pas
sage in steamer that was sailing direct
for Marseilles. Most of the traffic
between Constantinople and Marseilles is car
rcd on by the "MessageIies Maritime" COM
pany, whose steamers, numbered by the
hundred, move in every direction. When |
first went TO Turkey this company was call
ed the ''Messageries Imperial in honor of
the third Napoleon" who was then at the
height of his power. Afterwards the empire
fell and the name was changed to Messenger
les National" But as the Communist rcvo-
luton made the life of the Republic seem an
uncertain thing, the purely commercial name
''Messageries Maritime" was adopted.
The success of this company has naturally
stimulated other enterprises. One of them
is the "Paquet Company" which runs fort
nightly steamers TO Constantinoplc. We
found that first class accommodations could
he secured in one of this company's steamers
at less cost than second class in one of the
Messageries steamers We therefore bought
tickets by the Paquet steamer LA Verite-"
in which We had very comfortable pas
sage.
To pass goods through the Turkish custom
house in going out of the country seems, if
ANYTHING, more troublesome than in enter
ing the country The Turks with extraor-
binary brilliancy OF intellect, charge duty
on everything of their own manufacture that
goes 10 another country. So all our boxes
must be rummaged TO find, if
possible, dollars worth of Turkish
goods on which TO levy an eight per cent
duty. Inns WAS the ostensiuie Purpose vi
the officials Their real motive was TO slim
ulate our purse strings SO that the "bak-
III, Ill, ,-o,,, 60 formidable manor
'"e'S" A''s"' '''0" w
tons.
This custom house work over, We at last
faunJ ours.Ives nm the decL of our Steamer
a., No.
anu moving quie'IS ou' in'o 'iie 'ia'inoia
and towards the Dardanelles. AT the Oar
danelles We halted while our ships papers
,,.,.-. ,,i,o3 ,,,, ia. nrooor off;cer, Union
-, -.
We moved on not 10 sop again uhtii we put
into the port Of Marseilles. The waters oil
the Mediterranean we found of beautiful
~. - ;s,oo, =, "a. Limo ,Joo,,
N'''' "'''" " 'AN
OF the Black Sea. Our course lay
along the shores Of ancient Troy and among
the islands of the Archipelago. These were
mostly barren rocks, but gave pleasing va
rety to the ever changing scene. We pass
cd along the southern coast of Greece, which
presents one unbroken front of high barren
rocky peaks. From Cape Matapan our
course lay directly across the mouth of the
Adriatic towards the straits OF Messina
From these straits we went directly under
Stromboli, whose summit smokes perpetually.
Yet charming villages nestle confidingly in
the brilliant foliage at the foot of the volca-
no. Next we passed through the Straits of
Bonifacio. gazing at the ragged rocks ON the
shores on either hand. During the
Crimcan war French steamer. loaded with