COCHRANE ' S WANDERINGS IN GREECE. HAVING found leisure to examine these

volumes, we discover that their name is by no means indicative of their nature. So far from wandering in Greece, Mr. COCHRANE'S whereabout was chiefly confined to Athens and its vicinity : instead of setting forth on a literary, artistical, or sentimental pilgrimage through Greece, he made three trips thither on very work-a-day matters ; and when business gave way to pleasure, his pleasures were those of society, dinners, balls, or soirees. The first voyage he made was in 1827. He went as lieutenant, aide-de-camp, and private secretary to Lord COCHRANE, and treasurer of the fleet, with a fund of 8,0001. to carry on the war ; so that there was every prospect of the hero of Basque Roads perpetrating a failure, when, luckily, the battle of Navarino came to the relief of Greece and his lordship. In 1834, whilst quietly studying in the Temple, a sudden thought struck i Mr. COCHRANE, and he started for Greece to suggest to its Go- vernment the establishment of a line of steam-packets from Mar- seilles to Constantinople, via Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Athens, &c. As he required no advances, King OTHO and his Ministers readily promised him patronage, and 1,0001. a year ; and our adventurer returned to get up a joint stock company; which, in despite of a panic on the Foreign Stock Exchange, was progressing promis- ingly, when the French, supposing the scheme a plan of the English Government to extend our influence in the Mediterranean, forestalled the project by starting a similar one. The third voyage of Mr. COCHRANE was undertaken partly to recover his outlay from the Government, partly to show his face, his enemies having spread a report that Greece would never again behold him. The second of his objects he succeeded in accomplishing; and as lie appears to be a pleasant, lively, unaffected sort of person, we can readily believe that Greeks, diplomats, and foreign residents, were delighted to see him. The King and Ministry also expressed their pleasure in words, but their deeds were less agreeable. Mr. COCHRANE'S petition estimated his outlay and other losses at

1,3901. After keeping it some months, the Government remune- rated him with 1601. and 401. to carry him home; and the Mo- narch sent him the order of the Saviour,—which our author interprets into an approval of his conduct, though the want of the needful prevented the more solid reward.

Sailing about with Lord COCHRANE, dancing attendance upon courts and ministers, and consorting with the fashionables of Athens, it was not to be supposed that Mr. COCHRANE could see much of the country or the people. Of society he saw a good deal ; a good deal too of the chieftains of the Revolution; as well as of the Bavarian adventurers, who have since arrived to reap the harvest at the eleventh hour. His pictures of them, however, are not effective, striking, or distinct; and much the same may be said of his social sketches. Shallowness and superficiality is the character of his book. He is alike deficient in the faculty of per- ceiving and the power of expressing. His facts are common- place; his sentiments trifling; his style feeble.

Such a work yields little that is valuable for itself; but circum- stances or accident 'give to most men who mix in revolutions, whether political or social, (and Athens has had both,) an oppor- tunity of seeing something now or something singular. Traits of this kind are not, indeed, very numerous or very striking, but there are some. Of this kind is the

FIRST PARTY AT ATHENS.

As soon as the Countess Armansperg had established herself at her house in Athens, she issued invitations for a grand ball, at which the King was to be present. This opening of the " fashionable" season much delighted both Athenians and foreigners. All prepared themselves to attend this first ball in the classical city of Athens. Flom the state in which I have described the streets of Athens, my readers will, no doubt, be curious to learn how the guests got through them, carriages being out of the question. All those ladies who could afford horses, rode them, in the fashion of our ancestors in the reign of Queen Elizabeth ; others matte their way on foot, cased in large Turkish boots, and preceded by servants carrying large lanterns, with four or five candles in each. Thus did the guests chiefly make their way to the Countess's house. On their arrival, they left their boots in the care of their servants, who had orders to wait below, with all the paraphernalia, till their departure. The company were ushered into a large suite of rooms ; and were received at their entrance by the Count and Countess, with their charming family.

About half-past eight o'clock, the Monarch of Greece arrived ; and at nine dancing commenced, by his Majesty leading off with the Countess Louise in a waltz. A quadrille followed, in which a Grecian lady bad the honour of being hie Majesty's partner. As this was the first time that I had been in the same room with Otho, I for- bore engaging a partner for some time, that I might have an opportunity of obeserving the new Sovereign of Greece.

He is rather above time middle height, with a very fair complexion ; his hair rather dark, blue eyes, and a countenance expressive of much goodness. In figure he is one of the very best-made men I have ever seen, with a dignified yet easy carriage; and he dances perfectly well. The room iu which the dancing took place was very large—about sixty feet

long and forty wide. The King having gone round the room once with** Countess Louise, stopped to give rest to his partner ; and the other waltzer followed his example. The King's suite was very gayly dressed in their court uniforms ; but his Majesty himself wore a black coat and trousers, and Onial, left breast was the order of the Saviour.

There was at this time a German regiment stationed at Athens to preserve order ; and all the officers of it werepresent. I did not see many of the Greek chieftains on this occasion : why, r know not; for at the subsequent fetes they were always the most conspicuous.

these lanterns ; and, according to the size of the light, I knew the

In my perambulations about the city in the dark nights, I continually root

LANTERN HERALDRY.

quality of the individual. Four tapers, in a very large lantern, indicated a foreign mi- nister walking to pay an evening visit, or perhaps a rich English resident• three lights I set down as indicating a Greek counsellor of state; two I attri; buted to the member of some respectable Greek family paying visits; one light only, and that carried by the individual himself, might point out a Greek of the commercial class going about on business.

COALS AT ATHEN'S.

On the first of these occasions at which I wan present—at the Christmas time above alluded to—nothing could be more pleasant or call up a more thoroughly national feeling in those English who were among his guests, than to be greeted (as they were on their entrance) by a blazing fire of (literally) Newcastle coal. Newcastle coal at Athens ! On inquiring of his Excellency how he was enabled to procure it, my surprise, but certainly not my pleasure, was increased at learning that it had been purchased at Athens at a much cheaper rate than it would have cost in the city of London ! the former city being eighteen hundred miles distant from the latter. The explanation of this ridiculous anomaly in the state of so important a trade as that in coals, is as follows: The price of picked coals at Newcastle is 8s. 6d. per ton ; the freight to Athens is about 20s. ; the duty may be about Is. more ; let us add (say) 4s. per ton fur profit, and the whole amount will be 335. 6d. per ton. At the time these pages are being written, I am paying 36s. per ton for my coals in London.

ATHENIAN CHEAPNESS. •

Living is very reasonable in this country. At Madame Cassalis', at the Hotel Royale, 1 generally dined in the public room. a la carte, after the fashion

of a good Paris restaurant. The fixed prices were, for soup of any kind, twenty-five leptas, and for every other plat forty leptas, whether, game, fish, roast or boiled, or any made dish. The wine of the country,—which is better than the common table wine of France that you get in Paris,—cost forty leptes more ; so that my dinner of four dishes, with wine, never cost me more than two drachmae,* (Is. 5d. English.) The cookery was French, Italian, Greek, or Turkish, according to the taste of the customer.

Most of the English travellers dine alone in their rooms ; and then the hotel. keepers charge six drachmas, and the dinner is never better. At the Public Rooms, I met the officers of the army and navy, the employes and the principal Greeks and Bavarians at Athena—barons, generals, colo- nels, &c. &c.

To show how economically a person may live at Athens, I will here sum up the expenses of my own housekeeping. My apartments were 30 drachmas per month ; the servant, on board wages, 40 ditto ; my dinners, (say) GO drachmas per month ; my breakfast and tea, 30 ditto ; making in the whole, 170 drachmas a month.

Calculating 28 drachmas to the pound sterling, this amounts to 61. per mouth ; a sufficiently model ate suns for your own servant and apartments, a good French dinner every day, and an English breakfast and tea. Bread is only one penny per pound, and the tea is about four shillings a pound. This latter you may get very good at Mr. Brown's English warehouse, in Minerva Street, where every thing English can be obtained on the same terms as at Malta.

The following account of the distance to which the human voice is heard from the Pnyx at Athens is singular. Mr. Coca- RANK attempts no explanation of the phenomenon ; and we are left to guess whether the form of the rocks may be adapted to sound-propelling, whether the atmosphere is favourable to its transmission, or whether the organs of speech are stronger in those Southern climes. If the two latter, the size of the ancient theatres becomes a less wonderful circumstance, without resorting to the supposition that the masks might have the power of a speaking- trumpet. At all events, if the fact be true, the ancient Athenian orators could have been heard distinctly by the whole of their audience, however large it might be.

Having traced back our steps to the place where we had left our horses, we returned towards the city. The sun had not yet set ; and as we did not dine till late, we bent our steps towards the road which leads to the Acropolis, that we might observe the sun setting behind the Corinthian bills. When we had arrived at the spot, we suddenly heard the voice of some one declaiming; and, casting our eyes towards the Pnyx, we were much amused with the gesticula- tions of a Greek, who, placing himself on the steps of the latter place, was holding forth a long harangue, not to assembled multitudes of the Athenian people, but to the open air ; and the only things that responded to his voice were the adjacent caverns, which echoed the words as they were uttered. The evening was very still ; and although he was nearly half a mile distant, I could hear perfectly his discourse. This is a very common thing among the Greeks, to get into retired places and try their voice. I have frequently heard them at the Stadium, but this is the first time that I ever saw any one on the steps of the Pnyx. Though not very highly rewarded by the Government, Mr. COCHRANE is an ardent lover of Greece, and entertains high hopes of the people; who, he says, only require English emigra- tion, and a bank, to set them up. By bank, Mr. Coctfassts seems to mean money-lending; for his instances refer to the thirty and forty per cent. paid on capital for employment in such investments as buildings—a business quite opposed to pure bank- ing. But, looking at the habits of the people, and the late ac- counts of their unsettled state, we apprehend capitalists are not likely to invest their money either in fixed or floating security at Athens. The emigration scheme has been suggested by others;

and in the case of a man with moderate means, a classical taste, an aptitude for learning language, and no dislike to foreign

habits, it is likely to succeed. But the people never willingly emigrate to foreign countries. Soil, climate, cheapness, proximity, are as dust in the balance against strange languages and strange customs. As regards fancy and the feeling at' home, Canada or Australia is nearer England than France or Portugal.

• One hundred leptas go to the drachma.