Why are there
not a few rooms fitted up at the expense of government for the poor?
Why cannot they have a plain hot meal once in the day for a moderate
price? The poor surely suffer enough by not being able to earn
anything for so long a time, without being deprived of their hard
earnings in such a shameful manner!
On the second day the court-yard was opened, and we were permitted
to walk about in an inclosed space a hundred and fifty paces wide,
on the sea-shore. The view was very beautiful; the whole of the
Cyclades lay before us: small, mountainous islands, mostly
uninhabited and covered over with woods. Probably they were
formerly a part of the mainland, and were separated by some violent
convulsion of nature.
On the fourth day our range was extended, we were allowed to walk as
far as the hills surrounding the lazaretto under the care of a
guard. The remains of a temple stand upon these hills, fragments of
a wall, and a very much decayed column. The latter, which consisted
of a single piece of stone, was fluted, and, judging from the
circumference, had been very high. These ruins are said to be those
of the remarkably fine temple of Jupiter.
21st October. This was the day we were set at liberty. We had
ordered a small vessel the evening before which was to take us to
Athens early in the morning. But my fellow-travellers would insist
upon first celebrating their freedom at a tavern, and from this
reason it was 11 o'clock before we started. I availed myself of
this time to look about the town and its environs. It is very small
and contains no handsome buildings. The only remains of antiquity
which I found were traces of the floor of a room in Mosaic work of
coloured stones. From what I could see of the island of AEgina, it
appeared extremely barren and naked, and it does not show any
indications of having been once a flourishing seat of art and
commerce.
AEgina is a Greek island, about two square miles in extent, it was
formerly a separate state, and is said to have received the name of
AEgina from the daughter of AEsop. It is supposed that the first
money of Greece was coined in this island.
Our passage to the Piraeus occupied a long time. There was not a
breath of wind, and the sailors were obliged to row; we did not land
at our destination until nearly 8 in the evening. We were first
visited by the health-officer, who read through the certificates
which we brought from the quarantine very leisurely. There was
unfortunately nobody among us who was inclined to make it more
understandable to him by a few drachmas. Of course we could not
neglect going to the police-office; but it was already closed, in
consequence of which we dare not leave the town. I went into a
large fine-looking coffee-house to look for night quarters. I was
conducted to a room in which half of the window-panes were broken.
The attendant said this was of no consequence, it was only necessary
to close the shutters. In other respects the room looked very well
but I had scarcely laid down on the bed when certain animals
compelled me to take to flight. I laid down upon the sofa, which
was no better. Lastly, I tried an easy chair, in which I passed the
night, not in the most agreeable position.
I had already been told in AEgina of the great dirtiness and number
of vermin prevalent in the Piraean inns, and had been warned against
passing a night there; but what was to be done? for we could not
venture to leave the town without permission of the police.
22nd October. The distance of the harbour of the Piraeus from
Athens is thirteen stadia, or six English miles. The road leads
through olive-plantations and between barren hills. The Acropolis
remains continually in sight; the town of Athens does not appear
till afterwards. I had intended to remain eight days in Athens, in
order to see all the monuments and remarkable places of the town and
environs leisurely; but I had scarcely got out of the carriage when
I heard the news of the breaking out of the Vienna revolution of
October.
I had heard of the Paris revolution of the 24th February while in
Bombay; that of March in Germany, at Baghdad; and the other
political disturbances while at Tebris, Tiflis, and other places.
No news had astonished me so much in my whole life as that from
Vienna. My comfortable, peace-loving Austrians, and an overthrow of
the government! I thought the statement so doubtful, that I could
not give full credit to the verbal information of the Resident at
Baghdad; he was obliged to show it to me in black and white in the
newspaper to convince me. The affair of March so delighted and
inspirited me that I felt proud of being an Austrian. The later
occurrences of May, however, cooled my enthusiasm; and that of the
6th of October completely filled me with sadness and dejection. No
overthrow of a state ever began so promisingly. It would have stood
alone in history if the people had gone on in the spirit of the
March movement; and then to end in such a way! I was so grieved and
upset by the result of the 6th of October, that I lost all enjoyment
of everything. Moreover, I knew my friends were in Vienna, and I
had heard nothing from them. I should have hastened there
immediately if there had been an opportunity of doing so; but I was
obliged to wait till the next day, as the steamer did not start till
then.
