That portion of Greece which I had already
seen was neither rich in beauty, well cultivated, nor thickly
inhabited. Here were, at least, plains and hills covered with
meadows, fields, and vineyards. The town, on the Gulf of Lepanto,
was formerly an important place of trade; and before the breaking
out of the Greek revolution in 1821, contained 20,000 inhabitants;
it has now only 7,000. The town is defended by three fortresses,
one of which stands upon a hill, and two at the entrance of the
harbour. The town is neither handsome nor clean, and the streets
are narrow. The high mountains pleased me better; and their chain
can be followed for a considerable distance.
I saw grapes here whose beauty and size induced me to buy some; but
I found them so hard, dry, and tasteless, that I did not even
venture to give them to a sailor, but threw them into the sea.
28th October. Corfu is the largest of the Ionian Islands, which
formerly belonged to Greece, and lie at the entrance to the Adriatic
sea. Corfu, the ancient Corcyra, has been subject to England since
1815.
The town of Corfu is situated in a more beautiful and fertile
country than Patras, and is far larger. It contains 18,000
inhabitants. Adjoining the town are two romantic peaks of rock,
with strong fortified works, upon which stand the telegraph and the
lighthouse. Both are surrounded by artificial ditches, with draw-
bridges leading across. The immediate environs of the town, as well
as the whole island, are rich in delightful groves of olive and
orange trees.
The town contains handsome houses and streets, with the exception of
the bye-streets, which are remarkably crooked and not very clean.
At the entrance of the town stands a large covered stone hall, in
which on one side are the stalls of the butchers; on the other,
those of the fishermen. In the open space in front are exposed the
choicest vegetables and most beautiful fruits. The theatre presents
a very pretty appearance; it would seem, from the sculptures upon
it, to have been used for a church. The principal square is large
and handsome; it is intersected by several avenues, and one side
faces the sea. The palace of the English governor stands here; a
fine building in the Grecian-Italian style.
The famous and much-visited church of St. Spiridion is but small; it
contains many oil-paintings, some are good specimens of the old
Italian School. In a small dark chapel at the furthest end of the
church lies, in a silver sarcophagus, the body of St. Spiridion, who
is held in great veneration by the Ionians. The chapel is always
full of devotees who tenderly kiss the sarcophagus.
On the 29th of October we saw the low mountain-country of Dalmatia,
and on the 30th I entered Trieste, whence I hastened on to Vienna
the day following. I was obliged to pass several days in the
greatest anxiety before the town, as it had been taken by storm on
the last day of October and was not opened until the 4th of
November. It was not until I had seen that all my relations were
safe that I was able to return thanks with a grateful heart to the
good Providence which, in all my dangers and troubles, had so
remarkably protected and preserved me in health and strength. With
equal gratitude I remembered those people who had treated me with
such kindness, had so disinterestedly received me, and through whose
help I had been enabled to overcome the frequent great hardships and
difficulties I encountered.
From my readers I hope for a charitable judgment upon my book, which
in simple language describes what I have experienced, seen and felt,
and makes no higher pretension than that of being sincere and
trustworthy.
NOTES.
{9} The sextant is a mathematical instrument by which the different
degrees of longitude and latitude are determined, and the hour
known. The chronometers also are set by it. In order to find the
latitude the ship is in, an observation is taken at noon, but only
when the sun shines. This last is absolutely necessary, since it is
from the shadow cast upon the figures of the instrument that the
reckoning is made. The longitude can be determined both morning and
afternoon, as the sun, in this case, is not necessary.
{11} The heat does not require to be very great in order to melt the
pitch in a ship's seams. I have seen it become soft, and form
bladders, when the thermometer stood at 81.5 in the sun.
{12} Every four hours the state of the wind, how many miles the
vessel has made, in fact, every occurrence, is noted down in the log
with great exactitude. The captain is obliged to show this book to
the owners of the ship at the conclusion of the voyage.
{13} Some years ago a sailor made an attempt to scale the Sugarloaf.
He succeeded in attaining the summit, but never came down again.
Most likely he made a false step and was precipitated into the sea.
{14} The worthy Lallemand family received her, a few days after her
arrival into their house.
{23a} The princess was three weeks old.
{23b} Rockets and small fireworks are always let off at every
religious festival, some before the church, and others at a short
distance from it. The most ludicrous part of the affair is, that
this is always done in open day.
{27} They are differently paid, according to what they can do. The
usual hire of a maid-servant is from ten to twelve shillings per
month; for a cook, twenty-four to forty; for a nurse, thirty-eight
to forty; for a skilful labourer, fifty to seventy.
