Smyrna times., 1889-09-11
For The Smyr7,a Times.
Scrap From my Diary-An In
teresting Letter From a
Former Smyrnian,

" " IereStlng Letter From a
is Former Smyrnian.
is On Jan. 10th, 1884, the writer com
Sc menced keeping a diary, which she
-e mentioned to some of her friends. who
s rldlculed the idea as preposterous
e however, she was not deferred from
Is ner work by thess false criticisms, and
!. mas perused it recently with great
II ueal OF interest, and attributed what
Q ever success she has had in recent
5 years with her pen, to the prosecuted
3 effort of that far distant period.
while she was engaged in WRITING
r her uiary, her sister Ann, received -
letter from lady sojourning in Africa
, Margaret Kennedy, who married Gen
HeuOelle of France, who was a potiva
OF Smyrna, and an intimate friend of
Doth my sisters from early childhood
As this lady's life has been the most
remarkable and romantic of anv that
we have been acquainted with. and
her letter is full of interest and ipfor-
nation we thought we would copy it
lor the benefit of your many readers
she says, ITO you and Miss Sarah. this
country would present a wonderful
ned for study and enjoyment indie.
pendent OF its being full of the remains
OF Roman triumphs, Roman ruins of
towns, bridges, aqueducts-the scene
OF ScipiO Africanus against the Nunoo
medlans-of the country of Jugurtba
OF It's being now peopled by the de-
scendants of the very Moors that sinh
dued Spain, and also of being sur-
rounded at every step by fountains
iortlhcatiOns, aqueducts and palaces
built by the poor Christians, who were
enslaved by this piratical nation. In
dependent of all their sources of inter-
est we have the loveliest skies. the
soitest Oreezes, a summer instead of
winter, no snow, only that which we
see on the tops of the distant mour-
tains of the Atlas.
Our garden, which is terraced ON
the side ola mountain sloping down
TO the shores of the Mediterranean 10
hlled with all kinds of geraniums
which grow like large shrubs. We
nave the almond trees hanging now ]
iull OF almonds almost ripe enough to &
eat. The fig, the banana, the olive
the grapevine, the pomegranate and I
all kinds of vegetables.
We live in a beautiful Moorisb
mouse builtsO entirely different from G
our style of building that you could i
not comprehend it, full of pointed L
arches, supported by marble columns
Ihey have marble floors, and porcelain
walls, tiat terraced roofs enclosing +,
courts where are marble basins with \
moving water. Their houses are h
charming and so cool in summer that @,
you do not feel the heat as in America ii
When the SiroccO blows, we stav all a,
lay IN the house, and keep quite cool. n
1t never lasts more than twentv.forr 4
nours. But when it blows upon Won it n
.eels like hot sand throw against vou. fu
nave never felt it but twice and
hen as it had been rather cool before
{ came we all enjoyed it. We ride on ~
horseback or in carriages everywhere ~
nat the French have pests for troops a.,
We see often at the foot of our garden -
he wild Arabs with their camaIo "
mules and war horses. They are very =
TRANCE in their costumes, but their -
aces are the finest and most beautifuI ~
the world. We have no fear from,
hem, and General Reubelle is alwavs
lloWed troops which are stationed stl
lghtand day in his garden and grounds' Ioi
ut this is more for ceremony than II
rotection. Algiers is a walled town ell
no more astonishing in its construc- Coz
on Than you can imagine. You can @l
My enter it through two gates called
'abagoun and Babelwhat. Thev arc
immensely strong, entering throuob pei
everal arched ways. There is onIv eaC
ne street you can ride in. The rest wa
re very narrow, and all the houses go say
yer the streets; only here and there in
icy leave air loops and light holes.
Ut the Moors are wise people. Their VIII
reefs are cool in summer as vour
liar and they have no winter.
The Jews have the same costume of We
Ie pictures in the Bible, and I believe
70 same they wore when Moses anu
ought them out of Egypt. Here
'thing changes. The Moorish women
9 always veiled. The higher classes A
'ver go out. The pitchers thew tior
rry to their wells and the wheels min
the cistern ara precisely like those the
two thousand years since. I often rem
ok at the wheel in our cistern which
little bowls attached all around n 81
cords, and as the wheel turns. thew wba
filed and empty themselves into a Mer
sin, the same as Rollin describes as ''Fr
Egypt.
We 60 to see the highest Moorish A
lies who never 60 out but are 80 nois
ppy to see as. They speak Arab riob
y, out we made ourselves under
cd BY signs. They were covered
In diamonds and pearls, and YOU Ell
uld be amazed at the richness Of Cor
'ir dress. / have purchased some very
rfs embroidered by the Jew women sstlsS Sfn
t such as Moses describes ia his M MT. I
rtaina Of the tabernacle, Of blue yyonll
nInt nj RAttti
'iioo "nu Boiu huu me tWined linan Thi
had time and room. would tell sa3 s1s "A
Of my interesting journey throupls g sssT cen