"THE most curious part of my Greek tour as yet has been Maina, a district resembling no other part of the civilised world. It is, at least in its wilder parts, covered with feudal towers. Around each tower a village has arisen, built by persons anxious to avail themselves of the protection of the chief, composed partly of his kindred, partly of his vassals, and all assuming his name, so that they form a distinct clan. Every village is at feud with its neighbour, and every tower contains a chief, who lords it, more or less, over the adjoining territory. In the towns, as for instance at Kita, the system is most curious. Kita is the city of towers. These towers are at constant war with each other, and a system of vindictive hostility prevails, though now declining, such as no other part of the world can present. An idle taunt, an imprudent boast on the part of a clansman, is sufficient to embroil two clans; the offending individual is slain on the spot, and the family of the murdered man, instead of claiming redress by legal means, lies in ambush for the murderer, or any of his family, and assassinates him. Another death is then required as an expiation by the aggressive clan, and thus a system of endless retaliation begins, and men lie in ambush for hours, sometimes for days together, insensible to cold, hunger, and fatigue, whilst waiting to assault an enemy whom, perhaps, they have never seen, and who is an enemy simply because he belongs to a particular clan. To such an extent is this system of vengeance carried, that men have sometimes remained for years in their tower, never venturing to quit it, because they belonged to a particular clan, and were consequently marked out as objects for certain destruction. I was told of men who had been born in their tower, married in their tower, lived to the age of seventy, and died in

their tower, without ever having once ventured to quit it. Conceive such an unparalleled state of things. I saw myself two unhappy gentlemen walking along the battlements of their tower, which they never quitted, and, I was told, could never venture to quit. Their relative had been betrothed to the daughter of a neighbouring chieftain. Another chief carried her off, and their relative, according to the usage of the country, assassinated him, but being less powerful fled to Zante; his family, however, do not venture to leave their tower, as, if they did, certain destruction would await them. According to Maina custom, two, and sometimes four, men walk these towers night and day, for the double purpose of guarding against any hostile attack, and of shooting any rival clansman that might happen to pass beneath, and this, of course, in the towns is frequent. The towers constructed for defence are, as you may suppose, sombre enough; they are lofty, with many loopholes to fire from, with scarcely any windows, and those half blocked up with stones. One creeps through a door made designedly so low, that entrance into the tower is a matter of difficulty. One then stands in a lofty room arched over, a winding staircase runs up one side of the tower, and is so narrow, that a man can only ascend with great caution, as there is no balustrade: this leads to an opening in the arched roof, and then ladders conduct through two successive stories to the battlements, so you may conceive these towers are almost impregnable. But if the towers are sombre, as indeed might have been expected from the purposes for which they were structed, the villages are stern, gloomy, and even awful in their appearance. The streets consist of high walls of stones, piled upon each other; the windows high, infrequent, small, and,

con

like those in the towers, half blocked up with stones; no door opening into the street, but the path to the house leading almost under ground, between dreary piles of stone, through a very low entrance into a court, purposely encumbered with defences and obstructions of every kind, and commanded by loopholes, &c. Then, when arrived at the house, you have to ascend either a heap of stones, or steps most rudely constructed, to the door, which is extremely low, in one sense of the word, being sometimes not three feet high, yet placed so far above the base of the house as almost to touch the roof. Creeping in through the door, you descend again, and find yourself on the floor of the apartment; and these strange entrances sometimes usher you into spacious rooms. Everything, in short, is constructed with reference to defence, marks a state of habitual hostility, and impresses the mind with an idea of gloom, and sadness, and stern existence, that can scarcely be conceived. I was obliged to take a large escort, and was accompanied by a Maina noble, sent with me by the governor, as he was a chief well known, and one who enjoyed a terrible reputation, having killed numbers in ambush. As a proof of the very different light in which the Mainotes view a species of assassination which we should hold in horror, when I asked him how many men he had killed in ambush, he replied, "It would not be delicate or becoming in me to tell you." I was struck with an instance of the strange operation which this most extraordinary system has had in fettering the natural powers of the mind. When near Cape

Matapan, I asked a peasant some question of local interest, which any one acquainted with the locality must necessarily be supposed to know. He could not however answer my question, and, on my expressing surprise, replied, "How should a man know anything about the country who has been shut up in a tower all his life?" The Mainotes have, however, great virtues. The chiefs treated me in their towers with unbounded hospitality, a virtue not much in fashion in other parts of the Morea; their women were never injured in their most sanguinary wars, and an insult offered to a stranger under their protection is a most inexpiable cause of feud. The state of things I have described is, however, breaking down, and will soon disappear, at least to a great extent; the government are moving heaven and earth to put it down, and by the assistance of the great chiefs, whom they are buying over, will ultimately succeed. They attempted it at first most injudiciously, and sent a Bavarian army into the country, who were beaten, obliged to surrender, stripped, and publicly sold by the Mainotes, some at fivepence, others at twopence a-head: a creditable transaction for the royal house of Bavaria. A government man now quakes at the very name of Maina. However, while I was there, the government troops, for the first time, were obtaining some advantages. About a fortnight before I came, some of the clans burst like a flood on Marathonisi, took the town, and seized the government chest; but they afterwards were defeated, and many towers were destroyed while I was there.

INDEX.

ABACUS.

Acheron, river, 115, 388, 390, 391.

Acherusian plain, 388, 390.
Achmet-Aga, 227.
Acrata, 297; Khan of, 242.
Acræphium, 231.
Acroceraunian Mountains, 63,
402; a week's tour in the,
403.
Acro-Corinthus, 123, 125, 126;
Byron's description, 123.

Nauplia, 258. Acropolis of Amphipolis, 433. Anthedon, 229. Argos, 263. Athens, 136, 137, 139, 141, 143. Axos, 359. Buthrotum, 381. Calydon, 248. Cardamyle, 276. Charonea, 213. Corinth, 123. Daulis, 215. Eleusis, 244. Hyrtakina, 369. Lamia (Zeitun), 218. Larissa, 263. Leuctra, 276. Monembasia, 273. Mt. Panætolium, 246. Mt. Viena, 246. Mt. Zygos, 245. Mycena, 261. Örchomenus, 216, 296. Phalasarna, 367. Platæa, 212. Porta, 251. Salona, 236. Salonica, 414. Samos, 339. Sicyon, 243. Acrothoum, 419. Acte, 75, 207, 415.

Actia, 385.

Actiacus, 385.

Actica, 207.

ÆGEAN.

Adamopulos, Yani, (travelling servant,) 129, 130. Egæ, 242, 428. Ægaleos, Mt., 205. EGEAN SEA, islands of the:geographical position, 303; tour in, 114; Syra best head-quarters, 304; steamers, accommodation for travellers, &c., 304; Admiralty Charts, 342.

Islands belonging to Greece.
Amorgos (Amorgo), 321.
Anaphe (Nanfio), 321.
Andros (Andro), 312.
Ceos (Zea), 313; Helena, or
Macris (Macronísi), 314;
Gyaros (Gioura, Joura), 314;
Belbina (St. George), 314.
Cimolos (Argentiera), 317.
Cythnos (Thermia), 314.
Delos (Dili), 307. Icos (Chilio-
dromia), 327; Xeronísi, Pipéri,
Jura, Pelagonési, 327.
Ios (Nio), 219.

Melos (Milo), 317; Anti-
Melos, 319.
Myconos (Mycono), 311.
Naxos (Naxia), 322; Donussa,

Keros, Macares, Heracléa,
Skinussa, 323.

Oliaros (Antiparo), 325; the
Grotto, 325.

Paros (Paro), 323; churches,

ÆGEAN.

the War of Independence, 336.

Cos (Stanco), 341; Admiralty Charts, 342. Crete (Candia): - - History, actual condition, population, &c., 349; at the outbreak of the Revolution, 350; Sphakia, 351; tragedy of Murnies, 353, 354; statistics, 354; religion, &c., 354; Excursions: Khania, Canea, (residence of the British and other consuls,) 355; Khania by the Bay of Suda, Aptera, &c., to Rhithymnos, 356; Rhithymnos by Axos and Tylissos to Megalo-kastron, 358; Megalo-kastron by Arkhanes, Kani Kastelli, Sarko, &c., back to Megalo-kastron, 361; Megalo-kastron by Kherso nesos, Spinalonga, &c., to Hierápetra, on the S. coast of the island, 362; Hierápetra along the S. coast of the island, and then by the ruins of Gortyna to Rhithymnos and Khania, 363; Khania through the W. districts of Crete, including Sphakia, 364. St. Paul's visit to Crete, 372. Icaria (Nicaria),

337; Corassiæ, Corseæ Insulæ (Phurni), 337. Imbros (Imbro), 331. Lemnos (Stalimene),

330;

Thera (Santorin), 320; Therasia, 321.

Islands belonging to Turkey. Astypalea (Stampalia), 341. Calymna (Calimno), 340.

Corfu, 65.

Casos (Caso), 348.
Chalce (Chalki), 343.
"Homer's
School," 335; sufferings in

women, 331; St. Strates, 331. Leros (Lero), 340. Lesbos (Mytilene, Metelin), 331; residence of a British consul, 333. Nisyros (Nisyro), 342.

and library, 340; grotto where St. John is said to have written the Apocalypse, 340.

Psyra (Psara), 333; destroyed in the War of Independence, 333, 334.

Rhodos, Rhodes (Rodi), 344; residence of a British consul, 344; historical notice, 344346; the Colossus, 345; connexion with the Knights

ANCHESMUS.

modation, &c., 379; passports, 8, 376; boats and packets, 376; money, 376; shooting, 69, 376; Lear's sketches of Albanian landscape, I, 395, 403, 404, 405, 432.

Albanians :-origin, 47; districts occupied by, 106 language, 49, 378; tribes, 49; character, 50, 106, 108, 376; costume, 45, 378; manners, 377, personal appearance, 378; dances, 378. Albanita, 48. Albanopolis, 431. Alcæus, birthplace of, 332. Alcimus, 201. Alcyonian Lake, 259. Alessio, 400.

Alexander the Great, birthplace of, 413.

Alexander of Corfu (travelling
servant), 130.
Alexander, Fort, 78.
Alexius, Emperor, 400.

Enesidemus,

birthplace of,

360.

Ali Tchélebi, 119, 293.

Alika, 269, 275.

to Tzimova, 276.

Antipho, birthplace of, 220.

Antiquities, Ephor or Conservator of, at Athens, 135. at Corfu, 57.

342.

Ethalia, 335.

Ethræa, 344.

Aetó, 251.

Ætolia, mountains of, 95, 116. Etolia and Acarnania, Tour

in, 245.

Aetos, 83, 86; valley, 251. to Alyzea, 251.

Afales, 89.

Agá, 28.

Agamemnon, 260; tomb of, 261.

Aganippe, Fountain of, 212.
Agathussa, 343.

Aghios Petros, 248.

Tithorea, 217.

Agíru, 67.

Agolonitza, 292.

Agora, Athenian, 180, 187;

Amnátos, 364. Ampelakia, 206, 411.

Hippodameian,

201;

of

Ampelia, 226.

Ampelússa, 364.

Agræan Hills, 23.

Amphiaraus, 221.

247.

Amphimalla, Amphimallion,

Agraulium, 147.

357.

Agraulos, Grotto of, 147, 155.

Amphipolis, 433.

Agribiliana, 365.

Agriculture, 109.

Akrotéri, 355, 365.

Akroteria, 95.

Akté, 366.
Albani, 431.

Albania :-present division, 49, 398, 400; population, 375; skeleton tours, 380; directions for travelling, accom

Aracthus, river, 389; source,