Departure from Salonica-Lake of St. Basil-Clissele-Remarkable Rocks-Lake Beshek-Uncertainty of authors respecting it-Bolbe Palus-Valley of Arethusa-TOMB OF EURIPIDES-BromiscusOf the Dogs called Esterica-Situation of the Sepulchre-Trana Beshek-Natural Deposit of the Bianco é Nero Porphyry-Micra Besheh-Khan Erenderi Bauz-Mount Athos-visited by Mr. Tweddell-Manuscripts-Cause of their being overlooked - Some account of the Monasteries-Sources of their wealth-Antient Cities of Athos-Dervéne-Strymon river-Amphipolis-Various names of the city-Orphano-Antient Medals-Appearance of the country after passing the Strymon-Kunarga-Krenides-Plain of Sêresexplanation of the term-Equestrian Turkish Ladies-Pravista

Drabiscus

Departure from Salonica.

Drabiscus-Drama-Philippi-Cavallo-Gold and Silver Mines of

Macedonia-Neapolis.

CHAP. XII. ON the following morning, December 31, at ten o'clock, having all things in readiness for a very arduous journey through the rest of Macedonia and Thrace, to CONSTAntinople, we took leave of our friendly host and his most amiable family; and being mounted on horses that would not have disgraced the race of Bucephalus, and accompanied by Mr. Kreen, the Consul's secretary, who accompanied us part of the way, we rode through the eastern gate of the city. Entering the plain without the walls, we passed a tumulus at half an hour's distance from the town, almost as large as the one we measured in coming from Tekále. It is also close to the road upon the left hand. In the cemetery without the walls of Salonica, the shafts of antient columns may be observed. We afterwards saw a mound, on which there seemed traces as if a fortress had stood there beneath it were the remains of walls, and hard by a fountain, the water of which was received into the operculum of an antient Soros. Thence passing over some hills, in two hours' time we entered a defile, where we saw ruins upon the heights above us, as of a fortress on either side. There is also part of an aqueduct'. We then descended into the very extensive and fertile plains

of

(1) The author finds an insular note upon a blank leaf of his Journal, which mentions that there are some inscriptions to be seen at a place called Daoot, or Daût, bally; distant two hours from Salonica: but of the place so named, or its situation, he can offer no other information.

of Lagadno and Baleftchino; so called from two villages
having these appellations. The land here is low and marshy.
Upon the south-western side of this plain is a large lake:
it was upon our right, our route being south-east. This lake
is called that of St. Basil: it is perhaps smaller during the
summer, because it seemed to us to bear the marks of being
flooded: a small river runs into it. In this plain there
are little tumuli close to the road, marking the distances.
They are easily distinguished from antient sepulchres, because
their size is more diminutive; and when used as marks
of distance, they occur in pairs, one being on either side
of the way.
In this manner they appear in the whole route
to Constantinople. The air here is very bad. The land,
notwithstanding its watery aspect, was much cultivated, and
the corn looked extremely well. They have a very fine
breed of sheep, like that of the South-downs upon the
Sussex coast in England; among which, however, we
saw some with horns, of a very bad kind; having black
wool. After quitting this plain, and ascending some hills
to the south-east, we arrived, at sun-set, at a village called
Clissele, distant seven hours from Salonica: and here we
were compelled to remain for the night, as there was no

place

(2) The author more than once alighted from his horse to measure the distance, by paces, from one of these stations to the next ensuing, and found it to equal two Roman miles, of a thousand paces each. They are much more frequent, and occur with greater regularity, as the traveller approaches Constantinople.

(3) Written Klissala in Mr. Walpole's Journal.

CHAP. XII.

Lake of

St. Basil.

Clissele.

CHAP. XII.

Remarkable
Rocks.

Lake Beshek.

place farther on, within any reasonable distance, where we might hope to rest. We slept in a conack belonging to the post-house; a wretched hovel, admitting neither light nor air, except from the door; and this we were glad to keep shut.

Leaving Clissele, on the first day of the New Year, we proceeded eastward, along the side of a chain of mountains bounding the level country towards the north, In this manner we entered a fertile plain, which, like that we crossed on the preceding day, has two names. It is called Seraivashtchi, and Gúlvashtchi. The road here was in many places wide enough for a carriage. About half an hour after we began our journey this day, we observed before us, at some distance, in the road the most remarkable appearance caused by rocks, that we had ever beheld. At first we mistook them for ruins, somewhat resembling Stonehenge; but as we drew near, we were surprised to find that the supposed ruins were natural rocks; rising perpendicularly out of the plain, like a Cyclopéan structure, with walls and towers; the road passing through the separations between them.

We then descended towards another lake, which was upon our right, and of greater magnitude than that of St. Basil, the lake we had passed the day before. It extends at the feet of this chain of mountains, from west to east; and is called the Lake Beshek. There are two towns of the same name, the Lesser and the Greater Beshek. We observed some boats upon the lake. It is about twelve

miles

miles in length, and six or eight in breadth'. The plain, in which this lake lies, may be considered as a continuation of the

(1) This was our conjecture as to its dimensions; but Mr. Walpole states them somewhat differently; which only shews how uncertain all computations by the eye must prove, of the extent of a lake, or inland sea. Nothing is more hable to cause deception, especially when such a piece of water is surrounded by high mountains. The following extract from Mr. Walpole's Journal will give the whole of his Journey from Salonica to Cavallo; or, as he writes it, Cavalla.

"At seven hours' distance from Salonîca we reached Klissala; passing, on the right, two beautiful lakes, and two towns, called the Greater and the Lesser Beshek. Of these lakes, the first and smallest appeared to be twelve miles in circumference: the larger may be fifteen miles in length, and five in breadth. Many kinds of fish are caught in them, said to be excellent. It is not easy to point out the names which the lakes antiently bore: Johannes Cameniates, who wrote in the year 904 his account of the destruction of Thessalonica, does not give them. His account of the lakes I shall transcribe. lakes, like seas, overspreading the greater

In the middle of the plain are two broad

CHAP. XII.

the ancien

name of the

part of it. They are productive of great advantages, containing fish, large and small. fake Berbell

'to the neighbouring villages, and to Thessalonica.' Ourivos iv μéoy, K.T.λ.

"The next day we reached the Strymon, about ten hours' distant from Klissala.

I passed the river at its mouth, in a triangular ferry-boat, flowing with a quiet even course. Basil, in a letter to Gregory of Nazianzum, speaking of the river, says: The Strymon flows so gently, and its waters are so quiet, that it scarcely appears a river,— σχολαιοτέρῳ ρεύματι περιλιμνάζων. Epist. 19. At a little distance were some small vessels riding at anchor, which had come to take in cargoes of corn. The mountains to the north-east are connected with Pangeus (placed by Dio Cassius, 47) near to Philippi, in which the gold mines were worked; giving to Philip and his son Alexander a revenue equal to three millions of our money, annually.

sian war.

"Some ruins of Roman work, near the mouth of the Strymon, mark probably the site of Amphipolis; a colony from Athens, and a city of importance in the PeloponneFrom this place the Athenians drew great sums of money, and were supplied with timber for their fleet. (Thucyd. lib. iv.) We find, from an epigram of Antipater, that in the age of the Antonines some remains of the Temple of Diana were extant here : Λοιπά τοι Αἰθόπης Βραυρωνίδος ἔχνια νηοῦ Μίμνει.

The epigram is important, on account of the mention made in it of the situation of the city on each side of the river, ἐπ' αμφοτέραις δερκόμεθ' ηιόσιν. In the time of Thucydides, the river flowed round it, repropiovros тоu Zтрvμóvos; and hence, he

says,