Very great rarity in Turkey

Her claret however was excellent, nor did she wish that we should spare it. We had tolerably good beds, which is a very great rarity in Turkey ; and this is perhaps the only place where anything better than the bare boards could be procured.

During all my travels in Asia I thought myself happy when I could get some clean uncut straw on which I might spread my blankets. I mention uncut straw because the Turks, feeding their horses and cattle principally on it, cut the straw very small, immediately after the corn is threshed, and put it into large hair bags in which they send it to the market. They never litter their horses, but make them lie on the boards, and we were frequently compelled to do the same.

We rose early on the following day and took our leave of our good landlady, who made us pay thirty-six dollars, being equal to five pounds eight shillings sterling, for her friendly and comfortable accommodations. Our escort consisted of nine mules, three of which carried our provisions for the journey, as we had nothing to expect on the road, and having to travel nearly three hundred miles on the same animals, it was necessary to spare them as much as possible, which would of course render our progress slow.

The sun was just rising as we ascended the mountain called Yachaku,1 which commands the town and Bay of Smyrna. I do not remember ever having seen so beautiful a landscape: nor can I suppose that there is in the universe a richer or grander prospect than presented itself to our view from this mountain.

The variety of flowering shrubs two-brothers, particularly the arbutus, now quite covered with berries, growing in vast quantities on the sides of the mountain ; the flocks and herds grazing in the valleys ; the noble appearance of the town ; the extensive Bay and shipping of every nation, formed altogether the most beautiful coup d’oeil in the world, and with the splendour of the morning inspired us with sensations the most pleasing.

I could not help observing to my friend how surprised I was that more of our countrymen did not direct their travels to this delightful country ; for I will venture to assert that no part of the globe is better worth their attention, or would more amply repay their trouble and expense than the country from Smyrna to the old and magnificent town of Magnesia, once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which, as well as its environs, still retains so much grandeur.

Baggage and janissaries

Having spent half an hour on this mountain, almost lost in admiration, we set off by the advice of my faithful Pauolo, full gallop to come up with our baggage and janissaries, who had gone on before us. We soon overtook them at the entrance of a wood, which consisted chiefly of forest trees, such as oak, elm, and pine ; all, however, of inferior growth, and intermixed with the fig, olive, and almond : there was also a vast quantity of dwarf holly, which formed a very thick underwood. The arbutus and the oleander were likewise frequent.

We now heard, for the first time, the drowsy noise of a caravan, which we soon overtook. It consisted of about thirty camels, all heavily laden. They formed a long string, and were fastened to one another by a ring which passed through the nostrils of each, and was tied to the tail of the foremost. Their pace was about the same as that of one of our heaviest waggons in England, but they have the advantage of performing much longer journeys, as they seldom stop to feed. This novel sight for some time engrossed our attention ; but in the course of a few days we were habituated to it, and it soon lost its power of pleasing from the frequent repetition and the tedious sameness of the object.

The country around seemed in a state of nature; yet displayed an uniform appearance of richness and fertility. We perceived but few cottages, and these were only the temporary abodes of shepherds, where the ragged ensigns of poverty were displayed, and the appearance of the inhabitants bespoke their wretchedness, as much as the neglected state of so fine a country indicated the badness of the government to which it was subject.