Journal of a Visit to Constantinople and Some of the Greek Islands in the Spring and Summer of 1833
TextTuesday, 30th.– I rose early, for the steam-packet from Corfu had arrived in the night, and, lo! all the passengers who quitted us at Zante were on board of her. It appears there had been a mistake in the number of days first allotted them for quarantine; and, instead of three, they were condemned to seven days' misery, all crowded together in a very small building, where they suffered dreadfully from the combined effect of heat, vermin, and bad living. The expected steam-boat had met with an accident at sea, and she passed in sight of Zante, without entering the harbour; so that these unlucky fellows were obliged to hire a speranaro, in which, after being twice driven back, and suffering various hardships and misfortunes, they arrived at Corfu.
There was no truth in the report respecting the short quarantine at Ancona, and, eventually, they all embarked in the steam-packet for Falmouth.
VALETTA. At eight o'clock, we landed from our boat at the harbour stairs, and entered Valetta. Rarely have I seen a city so remarkable for its cleanliness: in that very essential quality, it may be said to equal the most agreeable towns of Flanders and Holland. My first visit was to the Neapolitan consul, when I found there was some difficulty about the Turkish tobacco which I had in my possession. As this knotty affair could not be arranged, it was decided we should remain one day more; and I engaged myself to dine at the palace. As the Malta gazette did us the honour to publish a detailed account of the festivities of that day, let me transcribe it here.
"Malta, 31st.– The passengers by the Neapolitan steamer, Francesco Primo, were yesterday admitted to pratique.
"His Excellency the Governor entertained His R. H. the Prince of Bavaria, the Prince of Butera, and the other noblemen and gentlemen, passengers in the steamer, at a grand dinner at the palace.
GARRISON OF MALTA. "The whole of the garrison was afterwards reviewed on the Florian parade; and, certainly, in no quarter of the world could a finer body of troops be seen, than those composing the garrison of Malta; consisting of a detachment of the Royal Artillery, the Royal Fusileers, the Royal Highlanders, the 73d and 94th regiments, and the Royal Malta Fencibles.
LADY BRIGG'S BALL. "In the evening, Lady Briggs gave a magnificent ball, at which his R. H. the hereditary Prince of Bavaria, Prince Butera of Sicily, and the other distinguished personages who came by the steamer, were present."
The writer of this "Court Journal" was right in saying that no finer body of troops could be seen; and the foreigners present were particularly struck with the Fusileers and the Highlanders; but the whole garrison was greatly offended at the conduct of the Prince, who never acknowledged the salute of the officers, nor the lowering of the colours to the ground in passing his royal person. Every one besides stood uncovered, and the populace cheered loudly; while he displayed a sort of contemptuous indifference, and remained motionless as a statue. The Admiral's ball was given as much in honour of Sir Thomas Briggs's elevation to the Grand Cross of St. Michel as of the illustrious persons of the steam-boat. It was crowded and splendid; but there was a sad lack of beauty.
The Captain of the Speranaro having refused to take the tobacco, our bargain became void, and the baggage was again shifted to the steam-boat, which sailed about eight o'clock on a beautiful moonlight night. We were kept waiting outside the harbour for nearly an hour for Captain Hayland, one of the passengers, who, it seems, went to sleep, and the people in his hotel forgot to wake him in due time. He was greatly alarmed, all his baggage being on board; and for some time he supposed we had really left him behind. The boat he hired was engaged to take him to Syracuse, in case it did not overtake the steamer. The commander of the Francesco, however, behaved very well on this occasion; for, when some of the passengers remonstrated at the delay, he replied, that the absent person was not only attentive and obliging to all on board, but had been punctual hitherto; and, therefore, he would stretch a point for him, though he would not do as much for many others who sailed with him.
SICILY – GIRGENTI. Thursday, August 1st.– We are off Alicata, having landed Prince Butera, whose estates are situated near the town. I was not sorry for the opportunity of seeing Girgenti thus afforded me; and a day or two sooner or later in Naples made no difference. Some extra charge was made for this addition to the eastern voyage, merely sufficient to pay the expenses of the boat.
We coasted along this beautiful island, now almost a wilderness, and nearly depopulated by a long series of oppressive edicts and taxes, imposed by the government of a nation which has no sympathy with its distresses. It may be truly called the Ireland of the great kingdom of the two Sicilies; a wretched country, which can only be preserved from destruction by a war to which Naples is a party. When that occurs, Sicily may again raise its desponding head, and, by seeking the protection of England, whose remembrance is indelibly stamped on the hearts of its inhabitants, it would soon be regenerated, and, with a liberal government and free trade, might once more become the rich and happy Sicily, the garden of Europe.
GIRGENTI. We anchored off Girgenti: in the distance, against the clear blue vault of heaven stood its ruined temples, the sad enduring monuments of former greatness; which appeal to the miserable and oppressed inhabitants, impressively reminding them of the glory of their forefathers, and the power which has passed away from the land.
Half an hour after midnight, a party I had formed, started to view the temples by that light,
"Which mingles dark shadows into gentleness."
After rambling across the country, and losing ourselves among groves of olive trees, we were obliged to take a guide at last. We were several times stopped by the deep ravines which the torrents have cut in the face of the country. There were an immense number of aloes in the hedges, many in flower.
The night was as fine and clear as could be desired; and the moon shone with an intensity of light. On arriving at the Temple of Hercules, nothing met our eyes but one solitary column rising from a mass of prostrate ruins, and over-topping the cluster of Indian fig-trees that grew around it. Pointing towards the heavens, it seemed to whisper, – "Mortals, there must you look for eternity: here all is crumbling to decay!"
REFLECTIONS. We passed on through groves of the above-mentioned trees, and alongside walls and turrets excavated from the solid rock, until the whole of the Temple of Concord, and, immediately afterwards, that of Juno, burst upon our sight. In this still hour, as we stood upon their ruins, and extended our view over the boundless prospect of sea and land, – the one calm and tranquil as a sleeping child; the other, like an old but vigorous man, marked and furrowed by the devastating hand of time, – how impressive was the scene! Can I ever lose the recollection of that moment? No. Girgenti, —
"My eye hath play'd the painter, and hath steeled
Thy beauty's form in table of my heart!"
Often have I lingered within the Coliseum when its majestic ruins were silvered o'er by the light of the same lovely orb, which now threw its lustre on these prostrate relics of departed greatness: I have wandered alone among the temples of Pæstum; I have stood on the Parthenon while the sun threw his latest, brightest ray over that hallowed spot: but never did I feel as among the ruins of Girgenti. On all these former scenes, the combination of nature and art has fixed the impress of mere beauty; here their union is sublime.
The Eastern sky is brightening with the beams of the morning sun, and its reflection tints each mouldering column with a purple light. The moon slowly resigns her influence over the scene, and a splendid prospect of earth and sea bursts upon the eye, as the sun springs upwards from behind the ruins, like the presiding deity of the spot.
We next proceeded to the Temple of Giants; and, judging from the fragments which lie scattered, over a vast area, how colossal must have been the proportions of this once magnificent edifice! The caryatide, or giant, which lies prostrate there, the last of his race, is 27 feet long; and the remains of the columns, capitals, ovaca, tryglyphi, &c., are all on the same enormous scale, and tend to impress the gazer's mind with the idea that its erection was in reality the work of supernatural agency.
The space between the temple and the town affords a beautiful prospect, varied with undulating hills, green valleys, wooded slopes, and sharp-pointed rocks, and interspersed with gardens in the richest cultivation.
GALLEY SLAVES.There is a great number of galley-slaves at Girgenti; and they must be a happy race, if laughing and merriment be any criterion to judge by.
In the evening, Prince Butera having joined us from Alicata, we started for Palermo. Poor Marquis St. Isodore has lost all his curiosities which he landed here; his property being close to Girgenti. The servant who was in charge of his baggage easily passed it through the custom-house by means of a bribe; and, having loaded a cart, instead of going off at once to the country, he placed it under a shed, and went to drink with some of his companions. In the mean time, one of those on board, who had an enmity against either the Marquis, or his man, laid an information, that there were many contraband articles; and the officer went to the shed and seized every thing.
MARSALA. Saturday, 3d.– The sea has become very boisterous, and most of the passengers are sick. We passed Marsala and Mazzara, where an increasing people enjoy comparative abundance, and are happy in consequence. All this benefit arises from the attention paid to the cultivation of the grape for Marsala wine, set on foot by an enterprising Englishman.
At two o'clock the steamer was off Trapani, and many of our passengers landed to visit Selinuntum; more, I believe, with the desire of escaping the horrors of sea-sickness, than for the purpose of searching after ruined temples.
Our course now lay along the shore, which presented a succession of bold mountainous scenery, interspersed with rich and smiling valleys. It was evening when we approached Palermo, and the setting sun shed a flood of golden light over each mountain summit, dark grey rock, and wooded glen: it was a beautiful scene, and reminded me of one of those landscapes which so often employed the immortal pencil of Claude Lorraine.
An unfortunate delay of half an hour in rounding Point Pellegrino, prevented us from getting pratique that night; and we had to endure the mortification of hearing the hum of enjoyment arising from every part of this gay city, without the possibility of being partakers in the amusement going forward. The marina was well illuminated, and the distant sound of music, which ever and anon came softened over the waves, communicated an air of enchantment to the scene.
PALERMO. Sunday, 4th.– We landed in Palermo at daylight; and I established myself in the same hotel where, two years before, I had spent a pleasant fortnight. Here it is that an Italian summer may be truly enjoyed; for pleasure would seem to be the presiding deity of the place. The inhabitants spend the whole night in driving about, eating delicious ices, listening to music, or in wandering among the orange and lemon groves situated in and about the town.
"This is the land where the lemon trees bloom;
Where the dark orange glows in the deep thicket's gloom,
Where a wind ever soft from the kind Heaven blows,
And the groves are of myrtle, and laurel, and rose."
DUCHESS DE BERRI. After visiting every object of curiosity in Palermo, I surrendered myself to that pleasing indolence in which every one appears more or less to indulge. Nevertheless, I could not resist the temptation of making an excursion to Prince Butera's villa, in order to catch a glimpse of her who had soared so high and sunk so low.22 She came to the window while we were in the garden; and a Carlist, who formed one of our party, seemed to gaze at her as though she had been a deity. A dispute having arisen about some trivial circumstance, she stormed with rage, and her gesticulations were perfectly furious. She is a perfect Neapolitan.
As this illustrious lady had expressed a desire to go to Naples, we were requested to agree to a delay of a few days. Who could resist the temptations of a longer sojourn in the city of the syren pleasure? and it was readily agreed to. It was not, therefore, until the morning of —
SCENE ON BOARD. Friday, 9th– that we bade adieu to Sicily. The Duchess came on board with her husband and suite, Count Menars, and the Prince and Princess – . Her face is by no means a handsome one; and she is very short, thin, and vulgar-looking. Nothing in her personal appearance marks her out for a heroine, or is calculated to inspire her followers with the awe and respect with which they seem to worship her. She soon sat down to whist with her husband, Butera, and the old Princess St. Theodore; but the game received many unpleasant interruptions from the pitching and rolling of the boat. Each time the fit came on, she sprang upon the bench on which she had been sitting, and, after bending her head sans cérémonie over the vessel's side, quietly sat down again to resume her cards. This rather unroyal and unlady-like exhibition occurred repeatedly; and we were impressed with the idea that her manners altogether were very unfitting her rank and station. As it was publicly known that we had the Duchess de Berri on board, she attracted considerable attention; otherwise her carriage would never have distinguished her from the most ordinary passenger. Our Carlist friend appeared on the quarter deck, wearing the colours of his party: at first, she took no notice of him; but at length it occurred to her that he might be a spy in disguise, and she haughtily demanded who he was. His loyalty and devotion were not proof against this affront: in an instant he retreated below, and, having disencumbered himself of the once-cherished badge, reappeared on deck with a countenance glowing with indignation; and, if I am not much deceived, "Louis-Philip" gained a convert from that moment.
We had a great increase of passengers, besides the Duchess and her suite; most of whom, being unaccustomed to sailing, were quickly on their beam ends. The weather, which, at starting, had threatened to be stormy, now cleared up; and, though the evening was calm and beautiful, a heavy swell still continued to render the motion of the vessel disagreeable. The heroine of La Vendée is sleeping in her arm-chair: the faithful Menars reposes at her feet; and her husband, whom she hardly seems to notice, is sitting on a bench beside her.
CAPRI. Saturday, 10th.– All hail to thee, Capri! Four months have glided away on the stream of time since I last beheld the sun casting thy shadow far over the surface of the azure waters, and then leave thee in darkness. Now his morning beams paint with gold the summits of thy lofty indented cliffs, that resemble the battlements of some magnificent cathedral: they will soon envelope thee in brightness. During the long interval between that setting and this rising, many beautiful pictures, painted by Nature's hand, have been spread out before me, but none more perfect than that which now unfolds itself, as, passing thy rocky isle, I enter the bay, where —
"Truth and Fable have shed, in rivalry,
Each her peculiar influence."
CONCLUSION.Once more in port, my task is finished; and, gentle reader, I must now e'en bid thee adieu!
ADDENDA
List of the Turkish Fleet in the Bosphorus
Mohammed Ali's Navy. 23
State of the Thermometer at Constantinople, from May 6. to June 3. inclusive
Here it ceased to be an object of remark.
Note to Page 24
This practice of insulting the religion of such as profess a faith different from their own has ever been a characteristic of the Oriental nations, and is illustrative of a passage in the New Testament, which I have not seen explained by any of the commentators: I mean the expression of our Saviour, where he denounces the votaries of avarice, by declaring that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
For a long time previous to Christ's appearance, it had been usual for the "Sons of Ishmael," or pagan Arabs of Asia Minor, to make hostile incursions into the provincial towns of Judea, and riding their dromedaries into the synagogues, to desecrate the altar in the manner here ascribed to the Turks. In order to put a stop to these enormities, the Jews hit upon the expedient of constructing the doors of their churches so low, that an ordinary-sized man could only enter by stooping; and thus they completely foiled their persecutors, for the disinclination of the Arabs to dismount, even on the most pressing occasions, is well known to such as have travelled among these sons of the Desert. In the hyperbolical phraseology of the East, these diminished apertures were compared to the eye of a needle; and the impossibility of a camel making his way through them, became at length a proverbial expression for any impracticable undertaking.