MR. FELLOWS' EXCURSION IN ASIA MINOR.

Tins volume might have a claim to exemption from criticism, were criticism any thing else than an exposition of the qualities of things spontaneously set before the critic to challenge his judgment ; for it was written without any intention of publication, and only ap- pears before the world because the author was informed by the Geographical Society, on his return to England, that his route had not been before trodden by Europeans. Considering how frequently that part of the world has of late been visited by tourists in yachts, in steamers, and various other modes, this may seem strange ; but it is not so. Your tourist, like a sheep or a mule, follows his fel- lows, and rarely quits the beaten track : even in England there are numberless places on the right and left of the coach or rail road, seldom visited by a stranger, which, if they do not retain a primi- tive simplicity of manners, yet differ greatly from those of a pas- sage-town.

The route of Mr. FELLOWS will not be well comprehended without a map, and not very exactly followed even with one, for he

pronounces all the maps of the country to be incorrect. But he

did not visit Damascus, Aleppo, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, or the River Jordan ; confining his excursion to the ruins of cities with

a somewhat less historical celebrity, lying remote from the path of travellers. If, however, a line be drawn from Constantinople to the Gulf of Adalia, the reader may form a notion of the country

traversed, by considering Mr. FELLOWS to pass along it in rather

a zigzag course, and then to follow the coast of the Mediterranean from Adalia back to Constantinople. His chief deviations were,

an ascent of the valley of the Meander to Laodicea, whence he pro- ceeded by the straight line to Smyrna, and an inland journey from Smyrna to Thyatira. He also occasionally proceeded by sea, and, it should be said, started from Smyrna.

The author's accomplishments are numerous, but his qualifica- tions as a traveller are not of the highest order, because he carries no one of' them to any thing much beyond amateurship. He has a knowledge of architecture, but not the power of making it available for broadly popular criticism ; he sketches with spirit and general truth, but shows more of the draughtsman than the artist; he has learning sufficient to copy an inscription, but is not imbued with Scriptural or Classical lore ; he knows something of geology, of botany, of en- tomology, but not enough to give great specificality to his descrip- tions or soundness to his views ; and he wants the art of dressing up incidents, persons, and landscapes, in the style of a travelling litterateur.

The work, however, possesses value of a high kind; presenting by dint of pencil and pen an accurate idea of Asia Minor as it now appears. Travelling in places little frequented, Mr. FELLOWS saw the people, and the country, in what may be called their na- tive state,—for as the manners of the aristocracy are pretty much alike in all countries, so roads, traversed by many nations, get a kind of bastard cosmopolitan character, losing much of their raci- ness; and he discovered many classical ruins in this once densely- peopled country. A few—very few—of these were seemingly

untouched save by the hand ot"fime. Sonic apparently stood as they were left by the ravages of war ; resting in desert

solitude, rarely visited by man; and then only by superstitious peasants. The majority, however, of these cities of the dead, furnish quarries for the villages or huts of the living,—columns, capitals, friezes, statues, with the other ornaments of the archi- tecture and sculpture of the Asiatic Greeks, being wrought into water-troughs, mounting-stones, tombs, and house-walls. The magnitude, extent, and number of these ruins, fill the mind with wonder, especially when the devastation for household purposes, that appears to have been committed for many centuries, is considered. From the palmy state of the Grecian colonies to the decline of the Byzantine empire, the country appears to have been studded with cities, profusely adorned with temples, theatres, and other public buildings of use or entertainment, and teeming besides with tombs and monuments, erected by affection or .vanity to the dead, or by reverence or interest to the living. Scarcely a day's journey is without its ruins ; so numerous, that in some places they would impede cultivation—in others, so deserted is the land once crowded with a dense and active people, that the remains are covered by forests which have grown over them. Such was past prosperity, strikingly contrasted with present decay. In the three months during which Mr. FELLOWS was exploring the country, he scarcely met any place deserving the name of a city, whether in the interior or along the coast, Smyrna and Constantinople excepted. The towns were few, the villages miserable, and fin- apart. Roads there were none at all, save the remains of a classical one ; commerce, except in the vicinity of Smyrna, was extinct ; in some parts, the fruitful soil was lying uncultivated—in others, forests of flowers, shrubs, vines, and timber-trees, vindicated its natural fertility. • To draw an idea of the past from the appearance of the present condition of Asia Minor, the reader must peruse the work of .111r. FELLOWS ; noting the numerous sites of cities he met with, carefully attending to his descriptions, and examining the plates with which his volume is enriched. A few of the most striking points which impressed us may be noted here. One of the most remarkable is the uniform dexterity with which the Greeks availed themselves of natural means, bringing art to assist nature. If a hill-side offered any resemblance to the segment of a theatre, lynches, or a back-wall, or both, were cut out of the mountain itself, and the remainder of the building completed " to match." Did a ridge conveniently run along by the boundaries of a city, it was made the foundation of a wall, or, as far as it would serve, the wall itself. Did a precipitous rock or mountain exist by the town, its solid mass was used tbr excavating monumental memo- rials, and tombs were cut out of its face ; as may be seen in the curious plates of Tlos, (p. 2380 Telmassus, (p. 245, 2460 and above all at Xanthus, (p. 226.) A point, noted by others, is also strongly brought before the mind—the predominance of the state in ancient governments. Every thing that concerned the public is extmive, laboured, and permanent : the only work of any kind which relates to individuals, is the tombs ; and these in a sense were public, for they were erected for "remembrance." Another feature in the Greek character, which cannot escape the most transient observer, is the thorough love of art, and the extent of artistica' power, with which society must have been imbued. Architecture and sculpture, in all their branches, were as rife, and attained as high a degree of perfection, as the mechanical iron-trade in England, which, from a steam- engine and a great gun to a pistol and a penknife, seems to offer the highest perfection of handicraft. At sea they fell short. "In the same defiree," says Mr. lisvr.r.ows, "in which the ruins of the cities in the interior have raised my conception of the grandeur, both in scale, design, and execution, of the works of the ancients, the vestiges of their ports and harbours diminish my idea of their naval strength and skill 1" but this is, we imagine, as compared with England. Their music is acknowledged to have been de- fective—the baldness of too great simplicity ; and Mr. FELLOWS coincides with this opinion. Two of the instruments—a long flute and a sort of guitar—still used by the peasantry, exactly resemble the figures in an ancient papyrus. As these have been brought to England by Mr. FEI.Lows, their compass and capability might be subjected to experiment.

Our traveller's stores of inscriptions are pretty numerous, but are of more value to the archreologist than the historian. They have been translated by Mr. YATES; who has also given a learned com- mentary upon them in two appendixes. Their great characteristic is purpose and distinctness, which give weight to even a common idea. How very different are the two following, from the diffuse, and oftentimes absurd stuff; which finds is place on our tombstones.

" Onesinms, the father, and Cheyseis, the mother, made (this tomb) for their sweetest child Polychronius, for the sake of remembrance, and for themselves."

" M. Aur. Jason, son of Jason Dosias, the citizen of Patera, prepared this mausoleum for himself and his consort, and (their daughter) Aphiote, mid (her husband) Polemo, with a view to this, that no other should be deposited there, or he shall owe what is just to the Infernal Gods."

Of the extent to which the destruction of antiques has been going on, a few passages will suffice.

inee'rEntaLs or MODERN SMYRNA.

The walls of all the buildings in the upper part of the town are formed out of the ruins of ancient Smyrna; and columns, busts, cornices, and entablatures are seen built in every-writ:re, and mixed indiscriminately with the volcanic stone of the country. The features of the busts are generally destroyed, to satisfy the scruples of their present owners, the Turks. Hundreds of tomb- stoeee are constructed of the ornamental parts of ancient temples, all of white marble. The Jews have bought one bill, formed of a pile of ruins of marble, for tombs for their burial-ground. Near the town I observed a wall loosely built of stone, and thinking that it looked of a lighter colour film the common stone of the neighbourhood, I went to examine it. It was composed of what appeared to be at stones, shout three inches thick, and all of conglomerate, or grout ; but to my- astonishment, I found that the surface of every piece (some were two feet long) was formed entirely of mosaic work, with beautiful patterns in black, white, end red. There must have been hundreds of feet of this, which had no doubt formed the floor of some temple or bath in the imme- diate neighbourhood, probably of the Temple of Ceres, which is said to have stood here. These blocks of mosaic now form the walls of a corn field, out of which thee must have been dug, for I served that the small pebbles in the soil were all square pieces of marble of the same size its the stones of the mosaic. Ilere I saw the top of an arch, with the capitals of its columns only visible above groual, end twenty or thirty feet of lease soil around it, containing the ruins of ancient art. Yet no one had been found even to remove the soil to show the proportions of the buil.lieg, and this on the side of so steep a hill, that probably the rain will soon do whet man has not lied taste and energy to attempt : the people now prop up the soil of the hill with the capitals of columns or cornices as they are laid bare.

WHAT WAS TIIYATIRA.

This town (Acsa) teems with relies of a filmier splendid city, although there is not a trace of the site of any ruin or early building: 1 saw ten or a dozeu well-tops or troughs made of the capitals of columns 61 different kinds.

In a portion not exceeding one-third of a burial-ground, I counted one hundred and thirty parts of column ; and upon measuring them, and noticing their orders, I found that seven or eight distinct temples or buildings must have contributed; one Corinthian column was flat at each angle, ready for fluting, but only partly finished. The streets are i places paved with fragments of carved stone. I saw several columns of granite, sonic of red-veined white marble, and some of gray and white; also some small columns, or rather two- third pilasters, I fancy of a later date than the other remains, but I may be in error.

For two miles out of the town, the mouths or curbs of the wells are formed of the capitals of extremely fine Corinthian pillars, the bucket being drawn through holes cut in the centre.

Mr. FELLOWS does not, however, deal with antiquities only. Al- though . he possesses little power of style, and sometimes rather tires the attention by a minute description of his daily route, yet he presents a very good picture of the appearance of the county, and of its present inhabitants.

glittered in contrast with the dark blue sky, and the horizon was only broks by the gray shrubs and the tents of the sleeping peasants. Around me ley :41 five horses tethered and. carefully covered with tatltedrseiblelbtustiteteiany-geroolau The moon and stars had supplied their cool light, the snow-topped mountain. clothing immediately before me was a group of seven Turks in fidl coitunie each having a knife end large ornamented pistols in

Looking out from my tent at ten o'clock, every thing was still and cal

A NIGHT PIECE.

nu ride blazing fire, on.which my servant WZIS preparing my supper, discoursiney at the same time to his wondering and attentive hearers. They were a most pietu- res.qtte party. Beyond them was the open, rude, black, goats'-httir tent of the

chief, supported by three poles, and built up on each side with loose stones

-

upon the pole in front were hung hie long gun and lance, or pole, and by then;

stood a Turk, as guard. Within, upon carpets and cuellions, lay the weather- beaten chief and an attendant ; between them was a pan of burniog charcoal, the faint light of which shone on the wreathing smoke from their -pipes as it curled beneath the black roof of the tent. The scanty service of a furkish meal glittered on the ground, indicating the finished repaet ; the contrastei light, the costume, and the calm of the whole scene, were more impressive than any description can represent.

THE CARAVANSARIES OF MAGNESIA AND PERGAMUS,

I sin now in a very fine building-, the public khan. It is as extensive as say Italian place, and huilt entirely of stone and iron: each room is dome-topped with iron gratings and shutters to the windows, and an iron door, which-me; unteeked by a black slave with immense keys ; the heavy door opened, au,! I welked in, as if into a prison, but founil it so clean, that althomigil it offered little more than bare walls, I liked its appearance better than that orally house I had seen for months. Mats were spread on the floor, and unfidding my stores, all other cumfats, together with an excellent dinner, were quickly sup- plied. For the first time I am lying on my travelling mattress, and surniunded

by pens, ink, and paper, with my canteen for a table. * *

1 am again in a khan, and must say that 1 never liked an inn hidiso much; it is pleasant to see all the furniture around lee my own, and to feel that my room is my meewle. Here the traveller finds only bare walls, with a few nails

arranged for henging thin W things upon. When I return from the stroll 1 generally take to stretch my legs after the day's ride, I find carpet, bedding, and writing apparatus arranged fur we', and a meal prepared in a room that appears well ftirnished ; and I have no fear of leaving any thing behind, for I take every thing in the room away with me. In the Morning, on awaking, I find niy toilet around me, and the kettle linithug for breakfast. I hail previously laid in it store of tea at Corth, all article which is unknown here. Give time a good servant and u khan, and I will not wish for the bows of a landlord or the troublesome attentions of a waiter. But perhaps the novelty of the scene may influence me. In the khan by eight o'clock all is asleep, and mine the billy light burning.

Of the character of the Turkish peasantry fbr honesty, hospita- lity, truth, and a religious submission to events that have occurred (but not, he conceives, to events impending,) Mr. FELLOWS speaks highly. Of their advancement in civilization the picture is the reverse. An idea of their wretched agricultural implements can- not be conveyed without tile cuts but this is their MODE OF rer,t,tso TREES.

The country was entirely covered with a forest of fir-trees ; the mode of felling which was so singniarly primit ire, that the American Indiau Moue could do it ill a MOM SIMI& /il511110'. The bark is cut fer two or throe feet, and the trunk wounded with the leng knife of the people e afterwards for a SCil.$011 the turpentine bleeds from tlk,,c (-.1(1111g.4, :111(1 they then set tire to it, thus consuming the trunk to the &mil of about nn Melt ; the tn.! is then again chipped, and the fire applied to th.. renewed discharge of inflammable sap. Soine years are thus empluyed itt felling- a large tree, which at last falls, borne d:mm IT a heavy gust of wind. After the tree is down, the slow habits of the people are still shown in their further operations. The small branches alon,. are cut off tbr firewood; the trunk is fleet chipped or greoved on the upper side, so as to each the rain-water, to pre:note the decay of the .wood; and in this state the tree his, sometimes across n petit, (ivhich is turned in con- sequence for several years,) until, falling to pieces, the parts are carried away on the canals and asses employed in this trade of furnishieg firewood to the villages and sea-ports. The timber, although extremely straight mind goad of the kind, is used for no other purpose than fuel; and in every neighbourimod many hundred trees are undeeaoing the proeese above described. The smaller trees, lAd in lines around the cultivated :rrounde, are used as tenees, them branches soon !labouring luxuriant vegetatiun, forming a thicket through which the cattle seldom break.

A GRATEFUL CUSTOM.

The water-jars of this western part of Asia Minor are made of red clay, and are in form precisely like the tent-cotta vases of the ancient Greeks. These jars, which stand het in,ocurylv, are seen tied to the trunks of trees by the wayside, and kept consbestly fille'd for the uso of the traveller. This ex- tremely grateful sepply of watme in parts of time country remote from 'Vaal springs or aqueducts, i6 a relieions care for the ablations Imfore prayer: Piero are very frequently endowments for the maintenance of this devotional 1/11. servancc. Upon Muntaine supplied by small aqueducts, are frequently Turk- ish inscriptions ninth-mg the motive tont °mei sion of such bequests to the stranger and traveller. ',lite replenishing of these jars is usually the care of the women.

vir.r.Ame nousc.

The houses of the Obeys in Turkey seem very much alike. I have been into many ; and will describe the trio appointed lame last night at Beale-aim. Out the outside it looked like a square box, and the Maids ineiraired from twelve to finuteen feet ; it waf; built of stones of all shapes, put together with mud. The roof sea i lhat, and covered with earth ; a summit roller, generallY u piece of a column, lying on the top to make this compact, la order to keep oat the wet. There 11'llS 110 Willa0W, and consequently light WAS Militated only leyi out sine hung a peg, with which this inside thstening might lie pushed up on, of wood. suspendie

the door, which hail no lock or fastening, except a piece over the top withinside, and fulling down when the door shut, whilst on the

entering. The wall and floore were of mud, mixed with short pieces of.straw , the roof was a tree laid across, and boards placed transversely ; the interior wna black with the smoke from a large open fireplace, and, on entering, the house appeared quite dark.

One gets at truth by degrees. Formerly, the South of France was described as a paradise in point of climate, till some close ob- servers fulfilled the proverb " speak as you find ;" and they found it changeable, and chilled by cutting winds, besides being exceed- ingly hot. As more unbiassed persons, who speak as they find, travel about, we shall perhaps learn at last, that perfection is not

to be found in the weather, any more than in other matters, and that ours is as good as our neighbours' in its way. Here is the

CLIMATE OF CONSTANT/NOPLE.

March 13th.—I have now been four days in the city, and each day the snow has continued to fall, and the wind is still north east. On my noticing the severity of the weather, the people say, " Yes, we always have this weather at this season ;" and both from the state of vegetation and the accounts given by residents here, I am persuaded that we English are strangely mistaken with regard to the climate of this country, as well as of Italy, fitneying from the gent heat of the summer that there is no cold season. I am told that the ivinters here are extremely long and severe, and that the use of fur is greater than in any part of northernEurope ; every person, male or female, rich or poor, being clothed in fur, varying from the richest sable to the nmst common skins. The hones are certainly built for a warm season; but Dr. Millingni, a resident lucre thr many years, with whom I conversed about the climate, says very truly, that it is easier to obtain artificial heat than cold; the people can warm themselves in winter, but could not cool an European-built house in summer.