Chapter I: Preface

My father, Charles Robert Cockerell, whose travels the following pages record, was the second son of Samuel Pepys Cockerell, a man of some means, architect to the East India Company and to one or more London estates. He was born on the 27th of April, 1788, and at a suitable age he went to Westminster, a fashionable school in those days. There he remained until he was sixteen. He was then set to study architecture, at first in his father's office, and later in that of Mr. Robert Smirke. His father must have had a great faith in the educational advantage of travel, as already in 1806, when he was only eighteen, he was sent a tour to study the chief architectural objects of the West of England and Wales. The sketches in the diary of this journey show him already the possessor of so light and graceful a touch in drawing that it is evident that he must have practised it from very early years. This no doubt was followed by other similar excursions, but his father's desire was that he should see foreign countries. Unfortunately, in 1810 most of the Continent was closed to Englishmen. Turkey, which included Greece, was, however, open. As it chanced, this was a happy exception. The current of taste for the moment was running strongly in the direction of Greek architecture; Smirke himself had but lately returned thence. When a scheme for making a tour there came to be discussed, Mr. William Hamilton, then Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, an intimate friend of the family, who had himself travelled in those parts, took a great interest in it, and offered to send him out as King's messenger with despatches for the fleet at Cadiz, Malta, and Constantinople. Such an offer was too good to refuse.

No definite tour had been or could be marked out in the then existing conditions of European politics. The traveller was to be guided by circumstances; but nothing approaching the length of absence, which extended itself to seven and a quarter years, was contemplated at the time of starting.

As far as possible I have used my father's own words in the following account of his journeys; but the letters and memoranda of a youth of twenty-two, who disliked and had no talent for writing, naturally require a great deal of editing.

His beautiful sketches form what may be called his real diary.

I should add that accounts of some of the episodes recorded in this Journal have seen the light already. For instance, the discovery of the Ægina Marbles and of the Phigaleian Marbles is narrated in my father's book, 'The Temples of Ægina and Bassæ,' and in Hughes's 'Travels' as well. Stackelberg gives his own account of the excavations at Bassæ in 'Der Apollotempel zu Bassæ &c.' So that I cannot flatter myself that the matter is either quite new or well presented. But in spite of these drawbacks I have thought the Journal in its entirety worth publishing. Sympathetic readers will find between the lines a fairly distinct picture of what travel was like in the early years of the last century, and also the portrait of a not uninteresting personality.

SAMUEL PEPYS COCKERELL.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I PAGE Leaves London for Plymouth--The despatch vessel--They take a French prize--The prisoners--An alarm--Cadiz--Malta--Life on board--The Dardanelles--Takes boat for Constantinople 1

CHAPTER II

Constantinople--Capture of the _Black Joke_--Life in Constantinople--Its dangers--Friends--Audience of caimacam--Trip up the Bosphorus 13

CHAPTER III

Constantinople continued--Dangers of sketching--Turkish architecture--A Turkish acquaintance--Society in Constantinople--Visit to the Princes' Islands 24

CHAPTER IV

Leaves Constantinople--By Troy, Salonica, Mycone, Delos, to Athens--Life in Athens--Acquaintances--Byron, &c. 40

CHAPTER V

Trip to Ægina--Discovery and transportation of the Marbles to Athens--Efforts to sell them 49

CHAPTER VI

Life in Athens--Eleusis--Transportation of Ægina Marbles to Zante 59

CHAPTER VII

Zante--Colonel Church--Leaves Zante to make tour of the Morea--Olympia--Bassæ--Discovery of bas-reliefs--Forced to desist from excavations 68

CHAPTER VIII

Andritzena--Caritzena--Megalopolis--Benighted--Kalamata 79

CHAPTER IX

Trip to Maina--Its relative prosperity--Return to Kalamata-- Second trip to Maina--Murginos--Sparta--Napoli to Athens 88

CHAPTER X

Ægina Marbles called for by British Government ships--Leaves Athens for Crete and Egypt with Hon. Francis North--Canea--Condition of Crete--By land--Retimo--Kalipo Christo--Candia--Audience of the pasha--His band--The archbishop--The military commandant--Turkish society--Life in Candia 102

CHAPTER XI

Expedition to the Labyrinth--Delli Yani--The interior--The return to Candia--Life there--Rejoins Mr. North--Bad weather--Expedition to Egypt abandoned--Scio--Leaves Mr. North to go to Smyrna--Storms--Danger and cold--Arrives at Smyrna 120

CHAPTER XII

Life in Smyrna--Trip to Trios--Foster falls in love--Cockerell starts alone for town of Seven Churches--Pergamo--Knifnich-- Sumeh--Commerce all in the hands of Greeks--Karasman Oglu--Turcomans --Sardis--Allah Sheri--Crosses from Valley of Hermus to that of the Meander--Hierapolis--Danger of the country--Turns westwards 134

CHAPTER XIII

Back into civilisation--Nasli Bazar--Nysa--Guzul--Hissar (Magnesia)--The plague--Aisaluck (Ephesus)--Scala Nuova--A storm --Samos--Priene--Canna--Geronta--Knidos--Rhodes--Mr. North again--Sails for Patara--Castel Rosso--Cacava--Myra--The shrine of St. Nicolas--Troubles with natives--A water snake--Finica--Carosi-- Olympus--Volcanic fire--Phaselis--Falls in with the _Frederiksteen_ 153

CHAPTER XIV

Adalia--Satalia (Sidé)--Alaia--Hostility of natives--Selinty--Cape Anemurium--Visit of a pasha--Chelindreh--Porto Cavaliero--Seleucia--A privateer--Natives hostile--Pompeiopolis--Tarsous--A poor reception--Explores a lake--Castle of Ayas--Captain Beaufort wounded by natives--Sails for Malta 173

CHAPTER XV

Malta--Attacked by bilious fever--Sails to Palermo--Segeste--Leaves for Girgenti--Immigrant Albanians--Selinunto--Travelling with Sicilians--Girgenti--Restores the Temple of the Giants--Leaves for Syracuse--Occupations in Syracuse--Sale of the Ægina Marbles--Leaves for Zante 199

CHAPTER XVI

Athens--The excavation of marbles at Bassæ--Bronstedt's mishap--Fate of the Corinthian capital of Bassæ--Severe illness--Stackelberg's mishap --Trip to Albania with Hughes and Parker--Thebes--Livadia--The five emissaries--State of the country--Merchants of Livadia--Delphi--Salona --Galaxidi--Patras--Previsa--Nicopolis--Arta--The plague--Janina 216

CHAPTER XVII

Ali Pasha--Psallida--Euphrosyne--Mukhtar--Starts for a trip to Suli--Cassiopeia--Unable to ford river--Turns back to Janina--Leaves to return to Athens--Crosses the Pindus through the snow--Malakash --A robber--Meteora--Turkish rule--The monastery--By Trikhala, Phersala, Zituni, Thermopylæ and Livadia to Athens 235

CHAPTER XVIII

Athens--To Zante for sale of Phigaleian Marbles--Returns to Athens--Fever--Spencer Stanhope--Trip to Marathon, &c.--Ramazan --Living out in the country--A picnic at Salamis--Presented with a block of Panathenaic frieze--Trip to Ægina--Leaves Athens for Italy 252

CHAPTER XIX

Naples--Pompeii--Rome--The German Rester got rid of--Social success in Rome--Leaves for Florence--Bartholdy and the Niobe group--Lady Dillon--The Wellington Palace--Pisa--Tour in the north--Meets Stackelberg again--Returns to Florence and Rome--Homeward bound--Conclusion 269

FRONTISPIECE

PORTRAIT OF C. R. COCKERELL, _after a Pencil Drawing by_ J. D. INGRES.

TRAVELS IN SOUTHERN EUROPE AND THE LEVANT