and on the exergue TR. A or Colonia Augusta Troas. He had also the stone of a ring, of a red colour, inscribed

ΔΗ
ΜΗΤΡΙ

or

of Demetrius; and a brown one, with a lion tearing a bull.

Both our Jew and janizary had expressed more 'than once a diffidence of our safety. Our firearms had been all regularly inspected; and this evening in particular our men betrayed plain symptoms of uneasiness and apprehension, which we imputed to some intelligence of banditti not remote from us, given them by our new companion.

CHAP. XI.

INVITED TO CHEMALI-WE SET OUT ON FOOT-THE HOT

BATHS ARRIVE AT CHEMALI-REMAINS OF ANTIQUITY -ONCE COLONE.

WHEN We lay by the seaside, we had observed a fire blazing on an eminence before us, or toward Lectos. We were told it was a signal for a boat designed to be laden clandestinely with corn, the exportation of which is prohibited under severe penalties. One of the men had approached and viewed us with a degree of attention which we disliked, the people of this district bearing a very bad character. At midnight the aga of Chemali, who was concerned in this contraband business, had come prancing along the shore with two Turks, armed, on long-tailed horses, to inquire who we were. The

janizary entertained him apart by the fire with a pipe and coffee, after which he mounted and gallopped back, leaving us an invitation to see an old building at his village. Our host informed us, that by the way were hot baths worthy our notice, and that Chemali was distant about two hours. This mode of computing by time prevails universally in these countries, and is taken from the caravans, which move an uniform pace, about three or four miles in an hour.

In the morning, after breakfasting on grapes, figs, white honey in the comb, and coffee, we set out in a body for the village, a Turk or two remaining with the boat, and our janizary, whose right eye was inflamed, at the vineyard. We entered a narrow track worn by camels, the sand deep and loose; and saw several of these animals single, lying down, feeding with their burdens on their backs, or moving pensively in a long train, the leader mounted on a low ass; and also a flock of goats, and a few sheep and oxen. We came to a river, which winds from the deep valley behind Troas, and has been mentioned before. The stream here was now shallow, but abounded in small fish. It had overflowed nearer the sea, and formed a little marsh.

The hot spring rises in the slope of the hill of Troas, about four miles from the shore; its bearing 30m. south of west. The bed resembles rusty iron in colour, and the edges were incrusted with white salt. After running a few paces, it enters a basin about nine feet square, within a mean hovel roofed with boughs. This is the bath appropriated to women. In a gully there, Farenheit's thermometer

6

rose to one hundred and thirteen. The current passing from hence, unseen, is admitted by channels into another basin. In this the thermometer rose to one hundred and ten; and in two small veins to one hundred and thirty, and one hundred and fortytwo. It was before in the air and shade at eightytwo. The water has the colour of whey; the taste is brackish, and this quality it communicates to the river below. We supposed it to be strongly impregnated by iron ore. One of the basins was choked up in 1610; and not long ago, we were told, the spring had entirely disappeared for nine years, after an earthquake. It is reckoned very efficacious in the rheumatism, the leprosy, and all cutaneous disorders. They first scour the skin by rolling in the bed of the river, which is a fine sand, and full of holes or cavities, like graves, made for the body. By each inclosure is a shed, where they sleep after bathing. In the court-wall of one is inserted the trunk of a large statue; and higher on the hill are the ruins and vestiges of the ancient sepulchres of Troas.

We crossed the river again, and in fifteen minutes entered among the roots of mount Ida, which hitherto had been on our right hand, but now faced us. We had an extensive view of the country, and from one summit the pike of Tenedos bore 30m. west of north. The tops of the mountain are innumerable. New ones arose continually before us as we advanced; and low oaks and bushes are interspersed among the vast naked rocks. Coming near Chemali we saw several windmills; Turkey wheat standing; and on the slopes of the hills, a few vineyards. The men were at work abroad; but the doorways

of the clay cottages were filled with women, their faces muffled, and with children looking at us. Our men purchased of them some melons, with eggs, which they fried in oil.

The mosque, which we had taken this long walk to examine, instead of proving, as we had hoped, some ancient building or temple, contained nothing to reward our labour. The portico, under which we stopped, is supported by broken columns, and in the walls are marble fragments. The door is carved with Greek characters so exceedingly complicated, that I could neither copy nor decipher them. We supposed it had formerly been a church. In the court was a plain chair of marble, almost entire; and under the post of a shed, a pedestal, with a moulding cut along one side, and an inscription in Latin, which shews it once belonged to a statue of Nero, nephew of the emperor Tiberius". Many scraps of Greek and Latin occur in the old burying grounds, which are very extensive. We saw more marble about this inconsiderable village than at Troas.

Colonæ, the Hills, was a town on the continent opposite to Tenedos. Antigonus removed the inhabitants to Troas, but the place was not entirely abandoned. It seems to have recovered under the Romans, and has survived the new city; still, as may be collected from the site and marbles, lingering on in the Turkish village Chemali.

u Inscript. Ant. p. 4.

CHAP. XII.

COAST BY TROAS-ENEKIOI-GIAURKIOI OR SIGEUM—ANTIQUITIES AT THE CHURCH-ACCOUNT OF SIGEUM-THE FAMOUS SIGEAN STONE PART OF A PILASTER-THE DISPOSITION OF THE LINES ON IT-OF THE GREEK ALPHABETAGE OF THE FIRST INSCRIPTION-AGE OF THE SECONDIT LIES NEGLECTED.

FROM Chemali we returned to the vineyard, purposing to embark as soon as possible; the danger from banditti increasing with our stay in these parts, which had already produced a general uneasiness: but finding the wind strong and contrary, we went back to the hot baths with our thermometer. In the mean time, the aga of Chemali sent word, that he designed visiting us in the evening, and desired our acceptance of a kid. His men, however, had carried off the intended present, on hearing from the janizary that we were going away. We were glad to avoid seeing him, as we expected he would prove but a troublesome guest. We hastened to get on board, coasted by Troas in the dusk, and, after rowing about five miles, landed, and slept on the beach. The solemn night was rendered yet more awful by the melancholy howlings of numerous jackals, in packs, hunting, as we supposed, their prey.

We embarked again three hours before the break of day, and rowed by a bold rocky shore until near seven. We then landed at Enekioi, or New Town, now a Greek village, so miserable, as scarcely to furnish grapes, wine, eggs, and oil to fry them, sufficient for our breakfast. It stands very high, and has been more considerable. By the church door is a Latin sepulchral inscription; and Pliny mentions a town * Inscript. Ant. p. 4.

X