ARGOLIS. Τὸ γὰρ παλαιὸν Αργος οὑπόθεις τόδε, SOPHOCLES. GLAD enough was I, on the morning of the 21st of May, to leave the hot air and arid soil of Athens, for a short excursion in Argolis and on the Isthmus of Corinth. Rising before the break of day, our party, consisting of Mr. Blackie, the learned Professor of Greek at the University of Edinburgh, Mr. Clyde (a young Scotchman spending a year at Athens for the purpose of acquiring the modern Greek language),* and myself, with our intelligent * Mr. Clyde has given the world some of the fruits of his diligent study, in an admirable pamphlet, entitled, "Romaic and Modern Greek compared with one another, and with Ancient Greek," (Edinburgh, 1855,) highly and justly eulogized by Lord Broughton for the "valuable information and sound criticism" it contains on the subject in question. guide, François Vitalis, drove to the Peiræus, where we took the French steamer for Nauplia. The deck of a steamboat on Greek waters presents a gay and novel scene to an American eye. Under the shade of the awnings, groups of men, women, and children may be seen lying on the Turkey mats, which they carry to enable them to spread a couch in almost any situation; some sleeping, some eating, or drinking wine from earthen bottles; others amusing themselves in conversation, or assisting their meditations by a pipe, or, more commonly, an extemporaneous cigar, made by rolling up a mass of the mild tobacco of the country within a piece of thin white paper. The bright hues and striking contrasts of colour in the picturesque costume of the men heighten its effect. A long woollen fez of bright crimson, woven without seam, falling gracefully over one side, and adorned with a tassel of blue silk, forms the head-dress; a full, spreading kilt or tunic of white linen, the fustanella, is the principal article of clothing for the body, relieved by a rich jacket or waistcoat, without sleeves, elaborately wrought of silk or worsted, blue, green, brown, black, or of several colours combined, and frequently adorned by ornaments in gold or silver thread. In front of this jacket a pouch or pocket is often attached, always highly ornamented. A red sash around the waist secures the graceful setting of the tunic, which hangs in multitudinous folds beneath. Fine white drawers are worn upon the legs, and rich crimson or scarlet buskins, of silk, or other delicate material, extend from the knees to the feet, which are clad in bright slippers. These buskins or leggings are elaborately wrought, and form one of the most striking parts of the costume. The dress I have described is the one worn by the more wealthy. Some wear garments similar in form, but of less costly materials; coarse leather buskins may be seen in place of elegant silk or woollen; a simple straw hat may be worn on the head; and various mixtures of the Frank and Greek costumes are noticed, while many Greeks adopt throughout the dress of Northern Europe. The lower orders to a great extent discard the more expensive and easily soiled tunic, and wear beneath their simple jacket an ungainly dress of dark cloth, extending from the waist to the knees, in form a ridiculous mixture of petticoat and breeches, -a garment that would put to shame Mrs. Bloomer herself. Below the knees their legs are bare. The waddling gait which they seem to have, as these broad folds flap about their legs, is anything but graceful. Their dark complexions, sometimes still darker than those of mulattoes, are another striking feature in the appearance of the groups on deck. The women are not remarkable for their beauty, and the old ladies are particularly hideous; the girls, however, are sometimes pretty, and the young men generally have agreeable, intelligent, and manly countenances, and are in some cases decidedly beautiful, with bright eyes, rich complexions, and noble features. The Greeks, wherever I met them, struck me as an intelligent race. There is, too, a manliness and self-respect in their bearing, which forms a pleasant contrast with the degraded aspect of the downtrodden inhabitants of the South of Italy. The latter people, in their appearance, realize most fully that eloquent description of the situation of the victims of oppression, “There is in their hearts no hope." But the quick-eyed Greek walks erect in the proud consciousness of freedom, and points exultingly to the future, which is to develop the full resources of his country, and expel the yet lingering remains of barbarism. We could not but be pleased with the whole bearing of the bright-eyed fellows who clustered around us, and talked with great courtesy, and without reserve, of the condition and prospects of the kingdom, boasting of their freedom from superstition and priestly domination, as compared with Roman Catholics, and urging their youth as a nation in excuse for the defects of their civilization. Passing the islands of Salamis, Ægina, and Poros, we stopped a few moments at the beautiful town of Hydra, on the island of the same name, distinguished for its valour and sacrifices in the Greek Revolution. This town, * God speed the day when this language shall be no longer applicable to the people of any part of Italy. |