Morning journal and courier., 1884-08-13

my Greek ana the pauc1ty of English among
 the Greeks Through an interpreter ia dis
 agreeable and not altogether safe msfbod1
 learned the facts contained in the following
 paragraphs on this subject:
 There are four roads which are now opera l ting Tn Greece on a more or less extensive
 scale The pioneer line, from Pirseus to Ath- ems, via Phaleron, was constructed by an
 English company in 1869, but has long since passed over into the hands of Greeks IL pays thirteen per cent, the passenger traffic 1 being the source of income The road is
 but six miles long. Eighty trains pass over the line daily between 4 q. m. and midnight l forty each way It is built on the stand ard European and American gauge of -four l feet eight and half" All the other roads | are built on the French meter gauge 6 feet
 inches and 3-6), and all the projects con
 template the French gauge, which is doubt
 less best for Greece on account of the light 1 traffic and the mountainous nature of the country. There is no move to extend this l line. The next line in importance is one partially completed, the termini of which I are Pireus on the east and Patros l the west. This road was opened l last Saturday from Piraeus to Eleusis, along 1 the general route pursued by the processions I of oid when the rites of the Eleusinian mys- | tefieN were celebrated. From EieHsis the 1 road will go to Niagara, thence to Corinth, 1 thence along the shore of the Gulf of Corinth, | through the city of Vastizza to Patros. From l 1 other side of the isthmus, a distance of six ] miles. This branch is already in operation, l serving to shorten the distance from Italy to l Athens, as passengers can catch steamer at ! Kalamaki for Piraeus. The road will be l opened from Eleusis to Megara in few days, l and in a few weeks to Corinth, when it will
 of course be popular to come to Athens all the way by rail from Corinth, the road passes through the suburbs of this city on it's way to Piraeus. It is worthy of note that
 canal is now being constructed across the
 slender isthmus. In two years, when it will 1 probably be done, Greece will find herself | halved, and Athens will wake up to discover that she is on the highway of the commerce 1 between Italy (with the countries behind it) l and all parts of the Ottoman empire. The 1 third line is one already operating between Valor, at the head of the gulf of that name, l and Larissa an important place in Thessaly, 1 and projected to Kalabak. As near as l can
 make out from studying my maps, the com 1 pleted portion of this road must be little l less than forty miles long, while the extension l to Kalabak will be about twice as long. The 1 extension will join the Larissa line six ] eight miles out of Valor and will then touch 1 Pharsah Kardizza Trikkala and other large | villages to Kalabak. The country .traversed l grows good deal of corn. 1 should judge l that the Athens Patros line would measure about 15O miles, The fourth operating line 1 is bit of road between Pyrgos, the capital
 
 it's port eight miles distant, Catacolo. The transportation of entrants and other fruits is the chief source of revenue to this road.
 Of projects there not few, and ground is being broken in the interest of some of them; but suppose more is planned than is likely to be realized very soon, an experience which has sometimes occurred in some other countries. The most ambitious of these pro iects is one from Athens to Larnia, near the head of the Gulf of Talanta, and ultimately on to Salonika. If successful this will be the line which will unite Greece with her more powerful European neighbors. believe there are already railroads running from Salonika north, at least over half the way to the Danube. Not only travellers, but the gener- al thinking public should be interested in this scheme. Why should not Greece clasp hands with Europe, and ultimately be recog- nized as at least second class power? Doubt less it seems strange to you over in America that there can be any ground left undeveloped in 'Feffete Europe;' but there is plenty of it. After seeing America you might not want this; but it is better than some in the world that supports myriads of people.
 Another project seems quite lively, that of road from here to Laurium, hundred miles north. They are at work on this line. 1 notice that the road will pass near Penteli- l con and the other famous mountains of | marble. Doubtless the company have 1t in l mind to put in spurs to the quarries It is 1
 
 long ago I am not aware that there is any 1 marble in the world that is really finer than this of Greece. It is only the cost of trans portation which now makes it so high-priced. l railroad would not only cheapen the price for Athenians, but also put the marble into the worlds market, by making 1t accessible to maritime commerce.
 I saw Mycene last week for only one franc. That is, saw the things which are most in teresting in connection with Mycene for that moderate expenditure. It will be remembered that the articles exhumed by Dr. Schliemann at Mycene were put into museum here in Athens. This museum is called the Poly technic and is free to the public for the small fee mentioned. Like the Academy, the Poly technic is of Pentelic marble in strictly classic style. The columns are not all of them futed 1 yet, but simply stand in place, huge cylinders l of marble awaiting the final finish under the | sculptors chisel It is worthy edifce for | the reception of such precious remains. One | room is devoted exclusively to Mycene, while | three others are given over to general antiqui- | ties, mainly Levantine The Mycene room | is rich in untold classic wealth. There are specimens of almost every kind of household utensils, jewelry, arms, Statuettes, colns, lamps, &c. The intrinsic value of the gold foil alone as 8 Turk would estimate 1t, must be fabulous There are pottery jars of every description. Most of these have been re- stored with infinite pains, the scores of pieces being adjusted to each other as near as human skill can discover their relative positions, and | the missing parts being supplied with plaster of Paris. The painting on these jars, gener- ally in subdued reds and browns, especially the latter, appear to be as fresh as when 1t was applied, over two thousand years ago. Some of the gold and bronze cups would | grace our modern sideboards, and some of the ancient ewers were indeed exactly like | those which are fashionable to-day. Of | rings and head dress ornaments there was a ofor IfXx s.l and other vessels adorned the lower cases, while arms made of the same material, hard | ened in some mysterious way, were green and | rusty with the action of time. Here and ] there were skulls that may have belonged to world-renowned warriors, statesmen, philoso phers, poets, sculptors, or orators.
 The cases in which the relics were locked were all made of olive-wood, and the floor was of antique mosaics 1 could but admire the equipments of themuseum But the greatest curiosity of all large glass case 1n the center of the room, perhaps ten feet long by six feet broad. The bottom of this was strewn with pebbles, and over those pebbles stretched the imperfect skeleton of man on one side, while the bones of woman lay in little pile on the other side. The lower face bones of the man entirely gone, and the fragments of the skull proper had been ce mented together. Both clavicles were present, | one scapula was not to be seen, the arm-bones were quite well preserved, the ribs appeared though much worn and ensmalled, mass of disconnected fragments indicated the pelvis, and the main leg bones were entire, though much reduced in girth by time. The bones were laid in their relative positions but not united The other bones, which took for those of a woman, simply because it was probable that royal pair would be inferred together, had crumbled into such an unrecog- nizable mass that no attempt had been made to arrange them systematically. Were these the remai 5 of Agamemnon and his wife? There was no catalogue in Greek or French as yet (much less English), and as NDr. 5chiiemann is away, had to let the question 20 unanswered EMILE.