a precipice 30 feet high in many small streams, which unite and form a river 40 or 50 feet wide, and 3 or 4 deep, flowing with great rapidity down the vale. The road follows its right bank for hour, and then crosses a projection of Mount Skroponeri, and then descends to an old church and the mills of Larmes, which are turned by a canal from the river. From the mills to the head of the bay where the river joins the sea is hour. From the height the river is precipitated over the rocks for a short distance with great rapidity. The ruins of Larymna are situated on a level covered with bushes on the shore of the bay of Larmes, 10 min. left of the mouth of the Cephissus. They consist of the remains of a small fort, the traces of the whole circuit of the wall, another wall along the sea, a mole in the sea, several foundations in the town and Acropolis, and an oblong foundation of an ancient building. There is here also a glyponero, or salt source. Return to Kokhino. circular pedestals smaller above than below. It is probable that this church was on the site of a heathen temple. From Kardhitza we pass from the church of St. George, through a chasm into the plain, and, crossing it, arrive in 40 min. at a projecting part of the mountain, which affords from its summit a good view of the adjacent part of the lake, where a stone causeway crosses the mouth of that bay of the Cephissus which is bordered by the vale of Acrophium, and was known amongst the ancients by the name of the lake of Acrophis. This causeway connected the foot of Mount Ptoum with that of Mount Phicium. A similar one may be traced near the island of Athamas, from the bridge of the Cephissus towards Topolia. Continuing to coast the lake for 8 minutes, we reach the Katabothra of Mount Phicium. The road now follows the south side of the plain, in which are to be found some ancient foundations, probably the remains of works intended to defend the place from the encroachments of the lake of Acrophium. North of them are traces of a canal apparently of the Hellenic times. It seems to have entered the plain between the Hours. ranges of rock called the Vrakho. The canal may be traced as far as the plain of Senzina, where it is again crossed by a ridge, and can no longer be traced. To the left of the apparent extremity of the canal are some ruins occupying an Hellenic site, probably Hyle. 13 23 The road passes along the rugged flanks of Mount Ptoum: midway, a small plain lies below to the right, at the foot of a mountain on the border of the lake; and opposite to it is an island surrounded by cliffs, the summit of which is encircled by an Hellenic wall. Kurdhitza, hour. Here are the ruins of Acrophium, among which are many inscriptions, particularly in the old church of St. George, which stands within the walls of the ancient city. Among other fragments of antiquity in this church, are a very small fluted Doric column, and two Senzina, 13 hours, a small village on a rocky hill connected with Mount Phicium. A mile south of Senzina is the emissory of the subterranean stream from Mount Cephissus. The road now passes by the lake of Livadhi, or lake of Senzina, whose depth, abruptness of margin, and inferiority to the Cephissic basin, may serve to explain the intention of the canal in the plain of Acrophium. Thebes, 23 hours. Egina to Epidaurus Epidaurus to Nauplia Epidaurus, by Hiero, to Nauplia Hrs. M. Mil. 0 11 0.11 7 9 0 Descending fast the mountain shadows kiss Thy glorious gulf, unconquer'd Salamis ! Their azure arches through the long expanse More deeply purpled meet his mellowing glance, And tenderest tints, along their summits driven, Mark his gay course, and own the hues of heaven; Till, darkly shaded from the land and deep. Behind his Delphian cliff he sinks to sleep." The island of Egina is distant nearly 20 miles from the Piræus, and nearly the same from Epidaurus. It was one of the few places which escaped the calamities of the late devastating war. It was for some time, in 1828-29, the seat of government; and many rich families of the Morea bought land and settled here, added to which, the refugees from Scio and Ipsara flocked hither in great numbers: so that in 1829, it became the resort of a mixed population of about 10,000. Greeks from all parts of Greece. It is in general easier to go from Athens to Egina and Epidaurus than vice versa owing to the prevalence of northerly winds; and it is misery to be wind bound in either of the latter places. The climate of Egina is delightful, and the air so pure, that epidemic fevers, the scourge of the Morea, are almost unknown in it. The soil is fertile, and it is carefully cultivated, yielding all the usual productions of Greece in great abundance. The interior of the island is rather destitute of wood, but the picturesque hills, rocky precipices, and pretty valleys with which the island is diversified, afford a variety of pleasing landscapes. The heights present beautiful views of the surrounding islands and continent. The best plan is to land at the N. E. extremity of the island, and to walk up to the temple. This can be easily effected, and it is not more than half an hour's walk. Town of Egina. On a pointed hill, 3 miles inland, may be seen the ruins of the Venetian town. This has been abandoned by the inhabitants, who, being induced by their love of commerce to prefer the seashore, have removed to the site of the ancient city. Its position is still marked by one Doric column. To the S. of these columns may be seen traces of the old port and mole under water. The streets in the modern town are more regular than those in most other towns in Greece; and some good houses were built there before Athens became the residence of the court. Since that period, however, it has again declined. Capo d'Istrias erected an extensive range of buildings near the town, which he destined for barracks, but they have since been converted into a museum, a library, and a school. The Museum was the first institution of the kind attempted in Greece, but its antiquities are now transferred to Athens. The Library, a spacious lofty room, contains only a few ancient Greek or Roman books printed in London. The Lazaretto, a well constructed edifice, is situated at some distance Temple of Jupiter Panhellenius, (now supposed by some to have been a temple of Minerva). This temple is 6 m. distant from the port on the S. E. extremity of the island; from the badness of the road, it requires 2 hours to reach it. It is supposed to be one of the most ancient temples in Greece. The approach, by a winding path, ascending through rich and varied scenery, is exquisitely attractive, and nothing can exceed the beauty of the situation. The ruin stands on the top of a hill, of moderate height, but commanding a noble view of the greater part of the island, the whole of the Gulf of Salamis, and some of the more distant islands, the coast of Attica from the Scironian rocks to Cape Colonna, the Parthenon, and Eleusis. The temple is remote from any human habitation, and was formerly surrounded with shrubs and small pine-trees. 22 of the columns are still entire, viz. 20 of the peribolos, and 2 of the cella. The greater part of the architrave also is still remaining, but the cornice with the metopes and triglyphs have all fallen. The temple is built of a soft porous stone, coated with a thin stucco, and the architraves and cornice were elegantly painted. The pavement also was covered with a fine stucco, of a vermilion colour. The platform upon which it stands has been supported on all sides by terrace walls. In the rock beneath there is a cave, apparently leading under the temple, and which was doubtless once employed in the mysteries of the old idolatry. It was from among the ruins round the base ment of this temple that those interesting works of ancient sculpture, the Eginetan marbles, now at Munich, were found by Cockerell, Forster, and some German artists. Egina derived its name from a daughter of the river-god Asopus. Its inhabitants were renowned among the ancient Greeks for their maritime skill, and this, added to their valour, was displayed at Salamis in a manner to entitle them, according to Herodotus, to the first rank. Their glory and prosperity was, however, of short duration; for they became involved in a naval war with the Athenians in the time of Pericles, which terminated in their complete defeat and the loss of their navy, and they never subsequently regained their former rank and supremacy. The island was originally barren and unproductive, but was rendered fruitful by the industry of the inhabitants. Boats for any part of the continent may be hired at Egina at a moderate expense. Egina to Epidaurus, 11 m., now called Pidhavro, which formerly sent 800 men to Platæa and ships to Salamis, is a miserable village, and can barely muster 80 inhabitants and 8 small boats. There is, notwithstanding, very tolerable accommodation for travellers. The houses are built on the right shore of the bay as you enter it, and not on the site of the old town, which was situated on a rocky eminence running out into the bay, and connected with the land by a narrow swampy isthmus. At the foot of this height 5 mutilated statues of white marble have been lately dug up, 3 female figures of colossal size, one of which is recumbent, and exhibits tolerable execution; the others had no peculiar excellence. Epidaurus was noted in the later ages of Greece, chiefly for its sacred grove. It was situated in a recess in the Saronic Gulf, open to the N. E., and backed by high mountains. In the time of the Peloponnesian war, it appears to have been strongly fortified; under Augustus, its circuit was no more than 15 stadia, whence it appears that Epidaurus was already at that time reduced to the promontory, where we now see, in many parts, the foundations of Hellenic walls, along the edge of the cliff. The port of Epidaurus is good, and is protected by a peninsula to the S. A small plain surrounds the village of Pidhavro. It is highly cultivated, and very productive; having almost the appearance of an English garden. Vegetables are raised here for the supply of the Athenian market. Epidaurus has recently again acquired celebrity, from having given its name to the Constitution, adopted by a General Congress of Deputies from all parts of Greece, and promulgated on the 1st of January, 1822. During the period of the Congress, the Deputies were forced to live in the open air, being unable to find accommodation in the village. The place at which the first Greek Congress, or Constituent Assembly met, is 1 hour to the N. E. of Epidaurus, and is called Piatha (Eriada). This town is beautifully situated upon a lofty ridge of rocks, 2 m. from the sea: it was formerly protected by an old castle, still remaining, probably built by the Venetians. The road to it is a path along the hills, covered with laurels, myrtles, and pines, always in sight of the sea. Numerous coins of the Republic are found here; and the deserted state of Epidaurus may, perhaps, be accounted for, by the preference which, for some reason or other, seems to have been given to this neighbouring port. "Ill-built and ill-provided," remarks Mr. Waddington, "Piada still offered more resources to the Congress than any neighbouring town, and was, therefore, selected to be the birth-place of the Greek Constitution." The house in which the legislative assembly was convened is "a large rustic chamber, forming a parallelo gram, and insulated in the middle of | Ieró, that is to say, "the temple, or the village, near an ancient tower, sacred place." erected in the time of the Venetians, and now inhabited by a poor old woman. This rough dwelling," adds Count Pecchio, "reminded me of the cottages of Uri, where the Swiss confederated against the tyranny of Austria." Epidaurus to Nauplia, by Hiero, is nearly 9 hours' ride. The direct road to Nauplia, by Lygourio, is only 25 m., and may be performed with ease in 7 hours. The detour to Hiero, including the time requisite for the inspection of the sacred inclosure, will not lengthen the journey much, as a great part of the road is good, provided the baggage be sent the direct road. The first part of the road to Hiero is over a fertile plain, producing tobacco and corn, and covered with clumps of arbutus and myrtle; it then passes through a very romantic defile, by the side of a rocky hill, with a mountain torrent tumbling beneath. The path in some places is a mere shelf, only broad enough for one to pass, with a sheer precipice above and below; while in others it winds through a beautiful shrubbery, where the myrtle and arbutus join over the head of the traveller by festoons of the clematis in full bloom and odour. By such a path, he reaches the spot where stood the iepov, (whence comes the modern name Hiero,) or Temple of Esculapius. The sacred ǎλσos, or grove of the Epidaurii, one of the most renowned places in Greece, for its sanctity, riches, and the splendour of the sacred offerings which adorned it, was situated at the upper end of a valley, there terminated by a semicircle of steep hills, from which several torrents descend, and unite at the south-western extremity of the valley, from whence the stream passes through an opening in the mountains, and joins the river of Lessa. The place is now called Sto The The most remarkable remains of antiquity here are those of the theatre; innumerable fragments of other buildings lie around, but nothing like an edifice, or anything to guide the traveller, in appropriating to any particular object these confused ruins. The Theatre, from the renown of its architect, Polycletus, may be considered as one of the most curious remains of antiquity in Greece. Although no traces of the proscenium remain, and many of the seats made of white limestone, are displaced by the bushes which have grown among them, it is in better preservation than any other theatre in Greece, except that which exists near Trametzus, in Epirus, not far from Janina. upper part of the edifice is in so ruined a state, that it is not easy to ascertain its details; but enough remains to show that the orchestra was about 90 ft. long, and the entire theatre about 370 ft. in diameter: 32 rows of seats still appear above ground in a lower division, which is separated by a diazoma from an upper, consisting of 20 seats; 24 scale, or flights of steps, diverging in equidistant radii from the bottom to the top, formed the communication with the seats. The theatre, when complete, was capable of containing 12,000 spectators. Pausanias enumerates in this valley, besides the temple of Esculapius, those of Health, Diana, Apollo, Venus, and Themis. |