oussa, Raclia or Nicasia, and the Great and Little Gaphnisa. These islets are uninhabited, and produce nothing but fuel-wood and a few medicinal plants.

Nio.] Nio, the ancient Ios, anciently peopled by an Ionian colony, is situated to the S.W. of Amorgos in 36° 50′ of latitude. It is about 40 miles in circumference, and is well-cultivated, producing a large quantity of wheat. Its harbours are excellent, particularly that of Manganari. The pilots of this island are considered the most able in the Levant. Olivier estimated the population at 3,700. It has been asserted that Nio contains the tomb of Homer, who died here while on a voyage from Samos to Athens; but this is far from being certain.

Naxos.] Naxos, now Naxia, the reputed birth-place of Bacchus, and hence sometimes called Dionysius, is said to be 25 miles in length, and 88 in circumference. It was anciently a powerful republic, and commanded the surrounding seas in the time of the Persian war. It is situated in 37° N. lat., and is of an oval form, its length being from N. to S. Its coasts present several small harbours. High mountains extend across it, of which that called Dia is the most elevated; their base is composed of schistus and granite, above which rest stratas of white marble or hard limestone. To the N. of Dia rises Mount Corono, and on the E. Mount Fanari. In these mountains emery is found in great quantities, and a beautiful kind of marble called ophiiodes, from its being speckled like the skin of a serpent. The capital, also named Naxia, is situated on the N.W. coast of the island, and overlooks a plain of considerable extent. Naxia abounds in delicious valleys and fertile plains, in which the olive, the orange, the lemon, the citron, the pomegranate, the fig, the mulberry, and the vine are cultivated. This island contains 10,000 inhabitants, and belongs chiefly to the descendants of noble Venetian families, whose contempt of agriculture is unhappily imitated by the peasantry. The dress of the women is somewhat peculiar. Upon their shoulders they wear two pieces of black velvet which project behind, and have very much the appearance of wings; the breast is loaded with a richly adorned stomacher likewise of black velvet; and their eyebrows and eyelashes are carefully blackened to improve their charms. Stenosa is a small inhabited island on the N.E. of Naxia. Between these two the islet of Acariesqua is situated.

Paros.] This island, one of the most celebrated of the Cyclades, has borne a variety of appellations, both in ancient and modern times. It has been successively called Pactia, Minois, Demetrias, Zacynthe, Yrie, Hilyessa, and Kavarnis. Its inhabitants were long renowned for their indomitable valour; but they were at length conquered by Themistocles, and again by Mithridates. Paros is situated in 37° N. lat. and is peopled by about 2,000 souls. Its interior is mountainous, and the marble dug from Mount Capresso or Marpesus, was once esteemed the finest in the world, on account of its exquisite purity. The harbour of Narissa is one of the best in the Archipelago. Parecchia, its principal town, is built upon the ruins of the ancient Paros. Archilochus, the inventer of iambic verses, Evenus, a distinguished elegiac poet, Agoracritus, the disciple of Phidias, Arcesilaus and Nicenor, both famous painters, were natives of this island. The famous Arundel marbles now in the university of Oxford were discovered here.

Antiparos.] About 2 miles to the W. of Paros is the small island called Antiparos. Its circumference is not more than 16 miles; but the soil is

well-cultivated, and supports about 1,200 souls. It offers nothing remarkable but its celebrated grotto, of which Olivier is at a loss to determine whether it ought to be considered as a marble quarry long excavated, or a vast natural cavity. To the S.W. of Antiparos are the islets of Strongilo and Despotico.

12

12 This singular cavern remained long unknown, even to those who lived in its neighbourhood, until the 17th century, when it was discovered by Magni an Italian. Since that time it has been visited and minutely described by Tournefort, Choisseul and several other travellers; but no account of it appears to be more satisfactory than that which is published in the British Magazine, signed Charles Saunders, and dated 24th February, 1745-7. As this account is considered sufficiently authentic, and is extremely naïve and interesting, it would be unjust to deny the reader an opportunity of perusing it: "Its entrance," says this writer, "lies in the side of a rock, about 2 miles from the sea shore; and is a spacious and very large arch, formed of rough craggy rocks, overhung with brambles and a great many climbing plants, that give it a gloominess which is awful and agreeable. Our surgeon, myself, and four passengers, attended by six guides with lighted torches, entered this cavern about eight o'clock in the morning, in the middle of August last. We had not gone 20 yards in this cavity, when we lost all sight of daylight; but our guides going before us with lights, we entered into a low narrow kind of alley, surrounded every way with stones all glittering like diamonds in the light of our torches; the whole being covered and lined throughout with small crystals, gave a thousand various colours by their different reflections. This alley grows lower and narrower, as one goes on, till at length one can scarce get along it.At the end of this passage we were each of us presented with a rope to tie about our middle; which when we had done, our guides led us to the brink of a most horrible precipice. The descent into this was quite steep, and the place all dark and gloomy. We could see nothing, in short, but some of our guides with torches in a miserable dark place at a vast distance below us. The dreadful depth of this place, and the horror of the descent through a miserable darkness into it, made me look back to the lane of diamonds, if I may so call it, through which we had just passed; and I could not but think that I was leaving heaven to descend to the infernal regions. The hope of something fine at my journey's end tempted me, however, to trust myself to the rope and my guides at the top to let myself down. After about two minutes' dangling in this posture, not without much pain as well as terror, I found myself safe, however, at the bottom; and our friends all soon followed the example. When we had congratulated here with one another, on our safe descent. I was inquiring where the grotto, as they called it, was. Our guides, shaking their heads, told us we had a great way to that yet, and led us forward about 30 yards, under a roof of ragged rock, in a scene of terrible darkness, and at a vast depth from the surface of the earth, to the brink of another precipice much deeper and more terrible than the former. Two of the guides went down here with their torches first, and by their light we could see that this passage was not so perpendicular indeed as the other, but lay in a very steep slant, with a very slippery rock for the bottom,-vast pieces of rough rugged rocks jutting out in many places, on the right hand, in the descent, and forcing the guides sometimes to climb over, sometimes to creep under them, and sometimes to round them, and on the left, a thousand dark caverns, like so many monstrous wells, ready if a foot should slip to swallow them up for ever. We stood on the edge to see these people with their lights descend before us; and were amazed and terrified to see them continue descending till they seemed at a monstrous and most frightful depth. When they were at the bottom, however, they holloed to us; and we, trembling and quaking, began to descend after them. We had not got 30 feet down, when we came to a place where the rock was perfectly perpendicular, and a vast cavern seemed to open its mouth to swallow us upon one side, while a wall of rugged rock threatened to tear us to pieces on the other. I was quite disheartened at this terrible prospect, and declared I would go back, but our guides assured us there was no danger, and the rest of the company resolving to see the bottom, now they were come so far, I would not leave them; so on we went to a corner where there was placed an old slippery and rotten ladder, which hung down close to the rock, and down this, one ofter another, we at length all descended. When we had got to the bottom of this, we found ourselves at the entrance of another passage, which was terrible enough indeed; but in this there was not wanting something of beauty. This was a wide and gradual descent; at the entrance of which one of our guides seated himself on his breech, and began to slide, telling us that we must do the same. We could discover by the light of his torch, that this passage was one of the noblest vaults in the world. It is about 9 feet high, 7 wide, and has for its bottom a fine green glossy marble. The walls and arch of the roof of this, being as smooth and even in most places as if wrought by art, and made of a fine glittering red and white granite, supported here and there with columns of a deep blood-red shining porphyry, made with the reflection of the lights an appearance not to be conceived. This passage is at least 40 yards long; and of so steep a descent, that one has enough to do when seated on one's breech not to descend too quickly. Our guides that we kept

Serpho.] To the N.W. of Antiparos lies the circular island of Serpho or Seripho, with an excellent harbour. This island was employed by the Romans as a place of exile for their state-criminals. To the E. of Serpho lies the islet of Serphopoulo.

Siphnos.] To the W. of Antiparos, lies the island of Siphnos or Siphanto,

with us could here keep on each side of us; and what with the prodigious grandeur and beauty of the place, our easy travelling through it,—and the diversion of our now and then running over one another whether we would or not,-this was much the pleasantest part of our journey. When we had entered this passage I imagined we should be at the bottom, to join the two guides we had first set down; but alas! when we got there we found ourselves only at the mouth of another precipice, down which we descended by a second ladder not much better than the former. 1 could have admired this place also, would my terror have suffered me; but the dread of falling kept all my thoughts employed during my descent; I could not but observe, however, as my companions were coming down after me, that the wall-if I may so call it—which the ladder hung by, was one mass of blood-red marble, covered with white sprigs of rock-crystal as long as my finger, and making, with the glow of the purple from behind, one continued immense sheet of amethysts. From the foot of this ladder, we slid on our bellies through another shallow vault of polished green and white marble, about 20 feet; and at the bottom of this joined our guides. Here we all got together once again, and drank some rum to give us courage before we proceeded any farther. After this short refreshment, we proceeded by a straight but somewhat slanting passage, of a rough, hard, and somewhat coarse stone, full of a thousand strange figures of snakes rolled round and looking as if alive, but in reality as cold and hard as the rest of the stone, and nothing but some of the stone itself in that shape. We walked pretty easy along this descent for near 200 yards, where we saw two pillars seemingly made to support the roof from falling in; but in reality it was no such thing, for they were very brittle, and made of a fine glittering yellow marble. When we had passed these about 200 yards, we found ourselves at the brink of another very terrible precipice, but this our guides assured us was the last; and there being a very good ladder to go down by, we readily ventured. At the bottom of this steep wall, as I may call it, we found ourselves for some way upon plain even ground; but after about 40 yards walking, were presented by our guides with ropes again which we fastened about our middles, not to be swung down by, but only for fear of danger, as there are lakes and deep waters all the way from hence on the left hand. With this caution, however, we entered the alley; and horrible work it was indeed to get through it. All was perfectly borrid and disinal here; the sides and roof of the passage were all of black stone; and the rocks in our way were in some places so steep that we were forced to lie all along on our backs, and slide down, and so rough that they cut our clothes and bruised us miserably in passing. Over our heads there were nothing but rugged black rocks, some of them looking as if they were every moment ready to fall in upon us; and on our left hands, the light of our guides' torches showed us continually the surface of dirty and miserable looking lakes of water. If I had heartily repented of my expedition often before, here I assure you I was all in a cold sweat, and fairly gave myself over for lost, heartily cursing all the travellers that had written of this place, that they had described it so as to tempt people to see it, and never told us of the horrors that lay in the way, In the midst of all these reflections, and in the very dismalest part of all the cavern. on a sudden we had lost four of our six guides. What was my terror at this sight! The place was a thousand times darker and more terrible for want of their torches, and I expected no other than every moment to follow them into some of those lakes into which I doubted not but they were fallen. The remaining two guides said all they could, indeed, to cheer us up; and told us that we should see the other four again soon, and that we were near the end of our journey. I don't know what effect this might have upon the rest of my companions but I assure you I believed no part of the speech but the last, which I expected every moment to find fulfilled in some pond or precipice. Our passage was by this time become very narrow, and we were obliged to crawl on all fours, over rugged rocks, when, in an instant, and in the midst of all these melancholy apprehensions, I heard a little hissing noise and saw myself in utter and not to be described darkness. Our guides called indeed cheerfully to us, and told us that they had accidentally dropt their torches into a puddle of water, but we should soon come to the rest of them, and they would light them again; and told us there was no danger, and we had nothing to do but to crawl forward. I cannot say but I was amazed at the courage of those people, who were in a place where, I thought, four of them had already perished, and from whence we could none of us ever escape; and determined to lie down and die where I was. Words cannot describe the horror or the extreme darkness of the place. One of our guides, however, perceiving that I did not advance, came up to me, and clapping his hand firmly over my eyes, dragged me a few paces forward. While I was in this strange condition, expecting every moment death in a thousand shapes, and trembling to think what the guide meant by this rough proceeding, he lifted me at once over a great stone, set me down on my feet, and

the ancient Merapia, Acis, or Astragala. The base of this pleasant and fruitful island is a mixture of marble and granite. Silver and gold mines were anciently wrought here; but the only metal now wrought is lead, which is found near the surface of the soil in a state of oxidation. The number of inhabitants is estimated at about 6000.-To the S. of Siphnos is the little uninhabited isle of Chytriani.

Argentiera.] Cimolis or Cimolos, now Argentiera, is situated in 36° 45' N. lat. It has received its modern appellation from its doubtful possession of a silver-mine. It is a mountainous uninteresting spot, consisting chiefly of volcanic mountains, and containing about 200 inhabitants. The Cimolian earth, used by the ancients as fuller's earth, appears to have been porphyry in the last stage of decomposition.

Milo. An unhealthy atmosphere infected by sulphureous exhalations, and bad water, have almost depopulated the once flourishing isle of Melos, took his hand from before my eyes. What words can describe at that instant my astonishment and transport! Instead of darkness and despair, all was splendour and magnificence before me,-our guides all appeared about us,—the place was illuminated by 50 torches, and the guides all welcomed me to the grotto of Antiparos. The four that were first missing, I now found had only given us the slip to get the torches lighted up before we came; and the other two had put out their lights on purpose to make us enter out of utter darkness into this pavilion of splendour and glory. I am now come to the proper business of this letter, which was to describe this grotto. But I must confess to you that words cannot do it. The amazing beauties of the place, the eye that sees them only can conceive. The best account I can give you, however, pray accept of.

"The people told us the depth of this place was 485 yards. The grotto in which we now were is a cavern of 120 yards long, and 113 wide, and seems about 60 yards high in most places. These measures differ from the accounts travellers in general give us ; but you may depend on them as exact, for I took them with my own hand. Imagine, then, within yourself, an immense arch like this, all over-lined with fine and bright crystallized white marble, and illuminated with 50 torches, and you will then have some faint idea of the place I had the pleasure to spend three hours in. This, however, is but a faint description of its beauties. The roof, which is a fine vaulted arch, is hung all over with icicles of white shining marble, some of them 10 feet long, and as thick as one's middle at the root; and among these there hang a thousand festoons of leaves and flowers, of the same substance, but so very glittering that there is no bearing to look up at them. The sides of the arch are planted with seeming trees of the same white marble, rising in rows one above another, and often enclosing the points of the icicles. From these trees there are also hung festoons, tied as it were from one to another in vast quantities; and in some places among them there seem rivers of marble winding through them in a thousand meanders. All these things are only made in a long course of years, from the dripping of water, but really look like trees and brooks turned to marble. The floor we trode upon was rough and uneven, with crystals of all colours growing irregularly out of it,-red, blue, green, and some of a pale yellow. These were all shaped like pieces of salt petre, but so hard that they cut our shoes; among these, here and there, are placed icicles of the same shining white marble with those above, and seeming to have fallen down from the roof and fixed there, only the big end of them is to the floor. To all these our guides had tied torches, two or three to a pillar, and kept continually beating them to make them burn bright. You may guess what a glare of splendour and beauty must be the effect of this illumination among such rocks and columns of marble. All round the lower part of the sides of the arch, are a thousand white masses of marble, in the shape of oak trees. Mr Tournefort compares them to cauliflowers, but I should as soon compare them to toad-stools. In short, they are large enough to enclose, in many places a piece of ground big enough for a bedchamber. One of these chambers has a fair white curtain, whiter than satin, of the same marble, stretched all over the front of it. In this we all cut our names and the date of the year, as a great many people have done before us. In the course of a few years afterwards, the stone blisters out like this white marble over the letters. Mr Tournefort thinks the rock grows like oaks or apple-trees, for this reason; but I remember I saw some of the finest cockle and muscle shells, in the rock thereabouts, that ever I saw in my life. I wonder whether he thinks they grew there too. Besides, if this rock grows so fast, the cavern ought to be all grown up by this time; and yet attending to his measure and mine, the cavern seems, on the other hand, to be turned larger since. Indeed, all that I can gather from his account of this glorious place is, that he drank a bottle or two too much before he went down into it."

called also Gorgia, Zephyra, Meleda, and Mimallis, now Milo. This island is 60 miles in circuit, and contains about 500 inhabitants. The village of Sifour, called by the Greeks Castrou, lying under the heights of cape Bombarda, is the healthiest and most populous spot in the island. The Miliotes preserved neutrality in the Peleponnesian war, on account of which the Athenians devastated their territory and put all the males to the sword.-Antimelos or Aceladion is a small island in view of Melos, and probably owes its origin to volcanic agency. Between the eastern shores of the Morea and the latter island are situated the islets of Falconera and Belo-perilo; and to the N.E. of Melos lies the island of Tragonissi, whose only inhabitants are numerous herds of goats.

Polycandro.] This island, the ancient Philocandros, is remarkable only for its ruggedness and sterility.

Sicino.] Sicinus, son of Thoas, king of Lemnos, is reputed to have given his name to this island, called also Sicandros, and from the excellence of its wine noe. The soil is fertile and produces excellent wheat. Betwixt these two latter islands is a small rock called Notre Dame de Cardioulissa.

Myconos.] The island of Myconos retains its ancient appellation. It produces wheat, wine, and figs, all of excellent quality; but the soil is arid, and its inhabitants direct their attention chiefly to navigation. The port of Saint Ann on the W. coast offers a good anchorage to vessels navigating the Archipelago. The population amounts to about 4000 souls; the women are considered beautiful, but strangely affect to paint themselves. Not far from the harbour of Saint Ann are the two small rocky islets of Dragonissi and Stapodia; and to the S.W., betwixt Myconos and Delos, is the islet of Prassonissi noted for the culture of the Alium

prasum.

Delos.] A little to the W. of Myconos lie the two celebrated islands of Delos, called by the modern Greeks The Dili, and by mariners Isdili. Everywhere schistose or granitical, the Little Delos exhibits no trace of volcano,-nothing, says Olivier, that can explain, by the laws of physics, the wonders which the Greeks have transmitted to us respecting the island which afforded shelter to the mother of Apollo and Diana. Rhenea, or the Great Delos, is also uninhabited, though some portion of it is cultivated by the peasants of Myconos.

Tino.] The island of Tenos, now Tino, ranks next to Scio in the industry of its inhabitants, whose numbers in 1795, according to a register kept by order of the primate, amounted to 15,800, of whom only about 10,000 were of the Greek church. The great article of commerce is silk. It produces also wine, figs, oranges, and honey.

Andros.] North from Tino one and a half miles, in 37° 30′ N. lat. lies the island of Andros, called also Cauron, Antandros, and Ydroussa. Like the former it is mountainous and lofty, though possessing more land fit for cultivation. When Olivier visited it the population was estimated at 12,000 inhabitants, who exported silk, oranges, and lemons to Athens and the Morea.

Syra.] Syros or Syra is situated in 37° 15′ N. lat. It is mountainous, but produces wheat, barley, wine, grapes, olives and cotton. Its climate is colder than that of the neighbouring islands. Syra, the principal town, is built upon a hill on the N.E. coast. Betwixt the town and

The

its harbour are the remains of the ancient Syros the birthplace of the philosopher Pherecydes.-Syra has not more than 4,000 inhabitants. little islands of Grado, Scarpa, and Nata lie off the eastern coast.