poor, and neither of them have anything so remarkable as their names; which, though high sounding, are not inappropriate,—they are at least calculated to recall to the inhabitants the past splendours of their native place. Both of these streets run on the back of the Cadmean hill, which, notwithstanding the ages that have swept over it, and the misfortunes. it has witnessed, has nevertheless preserved some few remains of the walls that once encompassed the Cadmea. Now, as in former times, the city of Thebes is watered to the right and left by the rivers of Ismenus and Dirce, and, so far as the natural objects are concerned, it answers to the description of Dicæarchus: "The site of the Cadmea is level; the form circular. It is plentifully provided with water, and abounds in green pastures and fertile hills, and in gardens beyond any city in Greece. Two rivers flow through the town, and irrigate the adjacent plain: there is also a subterraneous stream issuing from the Cadmea through conduits, which are said to have been constructed by Cadmus. The abundance and coolness of the water-the agreeable breezes and verdant aspect of the plain-its gardens, fruits, and other productions of the season, render Thebes a most agreeable residence in the summer. In the winter, on the contrary, it is very unpleasant, being destitute of fuel, and constantly exposed to floods, and winds; it is then often covered with snow, and is very muddy."

The seasons are still the same, but the site of Thebes is far from being "level;" the whole city is now situated on the bluff of the Cadmea, and the rivers, instead of flowing through, only encompass the hill on which formerly stood the Acropolis. This is evident, not only from the above description of Dicæarchus, but from that of Pausanias, for the site of the present city would hardly be sufficient for half of the monuments which are described by the latter author. The gardens, like the temples and the porticoes of the ancient city, have disappeared, and with them much of its beauty; but the

green hills," and "fertile pastures;" the rivers, and the stream that issues from the Cadmea; the broad plains and the graceful forms of Mount Cethæron, and Mount Helicon, with the distant_but majestic Parnassus, add not a little to the beauty of its horizon, and if the conveniences and the comforts of life could be obtained, Thebes might still be "an agreeable residence in summer." But, unfortunately, she has not as yet recovered from the effects of the last war. At the end of the revolution the city was left a heap of smoking ruins, and those of its inhabitants who escaped the sword, and succeeded in gathering around them their household gods-a few tin pans and earthen pots-are struggling with the first essays of life, which are the more difficult as the worthy descendants of Epaminondas and of Pindar had to begin life with nothing. In the course of their servitude they had

lost their paternal estates, and they were obliged to purchase their present possessions from the government, at the extravagant prices of three, four, and even five hundred dollars per acre-a state of things ruinous to themselves and to the true interests of the country.

The plains of Boeotia abound in rich lands, and the city, though inland, is yet so favourably situated as to be within a few hours' distance from three seas the Saronic and Corinthian Gulfs, and the ports of the Eubœic frith. In addition to this, the great national road, which is to be extended from the capital of the kingdom to its confines to the north, has already reached the city of Thebes, and its inhabitants are thus enabled to send the produce of their fields, and even the vegetables of their gardens, to the market of Athens.

At ten o'clock in the morning we repaired to the Demark's, where we partook of a breakfast, which had all the accessories of ordinary dinners-soup and desert not excepted; and from whence we enjoyed a fine view of the country and the people. The balcony of the house is over the principal street of the town, and as the day happened to be the weekly fair, the country people had come to buy and sell. The concourse was lively and interesting, and strongly reminded me of the scenes I had often witnessed in the principal cities of Macedon before the revolution. In spite of the many political changes that have taken place in the

course of the last twenty years, the social habits of the country people have undergone but little alteration; they are in almost every particular the same -neither their character nor their customs appear to have been affected by the new order of things. The principle of nationality appears to be both deep and vigorous.

CHAPTER X.

LIVADIA.

"They say the Ægyptians are a wondrous race
In various things; and in their creed, the eel
Is equal to the gods; he's costlier much

Than they, since gods are gained by merely praying;
But one must spend at least twelve drachms or more
To treat one's nostrils to a single sniff;—

So parlous holy is the beast."

Trans. by C. C. Felton.

DURING our day's stroll through the streets of Thebes, I saw in the market some fine Copaic eels, and recollecting the praises which the ancients bestowed upon them, I determined to test the truth of their remarks. The cook was therefore ordered to buy the largest of them, and prepare it in the true classical style for our dinner, or the next day's picnic in some grove, or by the side of some fountain in the course of our journey to Livadia. Accordingly, the eel was bought and roasted, but there being no other mode of keeping it out of harm's way during the night, it was put in a basket and suspended in the centre of the apartment. In the course of the night, the flavour of its contents, which were rich