lambs are always as cheap as this; indeed we found all species of eatables rather dear; but it is probable that the shepherd had a dismal foreboding, that unless he could sell his lambs before the close of the day, the next night's frost might leave him few to dispose of, as many had been already killed by the continued cold. We afterwards heard that this bad weather, and consequent mortality among the sheep, had extended all over Greece. In Negropont, one or two landlords, whose chief wealth lay in their flocks, lost every one of their lambs, and were nearly ruined.

CHAPTER XIII.

MOUNTAIN JOURNEY.-LONDARI.-SAKONA.-MOUNT

ITHOME.

[16TH AND 17TH OF FEBRUARY.]

OUR intention had been to proceed from Mistra to Calamata on the Gulf of Coron, by a pass which exists across the ridge of Taygetus, and thence on to Messene; but we were informed from all quarters that this track, difficult and even dangerous in the best season, was now utterly impracticable. We were therefore obliged to proceed to Londari, whence, by the passes near the sources of the Alpheus and Eurotas, we should turn, to use a military phrase, the range of Taygetus, and descend into the Messenian Plain. This,

though a very great circuit, was the only road way by which the mountains could now be passed.

I may here observe, that until I had visited Greece, I never had any very distinct idea of the small extent of the most celebrated states, and of the natural causes which kept them divided into so many independent communities. It seems, in fact, that each state was composed of a kind of valley, separated from its neighbours by natural barriers of sea or mountains, which rendered the communications, either of war or amity, very difficult and circuitous, and maintained the spirit of separation and nationality between the several states. It took the powerful state of Sparta three hundred years finally to subdue the Messenians, which can only be accounted for by the difficulties of the intermediate country. In proceeding from Mistra to Messene, we were obliged to perform nearly double the direct distance

CROWN LANDS.

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between the two places, and through a country almost impracticable.

The morning was fine, and we were in our saddles before eight o'clock, and retraced our steps back to the lofty bridge I have already mentioned over the Eurotas; but instead of recrossing it, we continued for some time along the right bank of the river, noticing in places that the bank was preserved from falling in by a strong facing of stone, apparently ancient, though we could form no idea of the date of its erection. Shortly after leaving the banks of the river, we passed through a farm in a higher state of cultivation than any we had yet seen great apparent care had been bestowed on the mulberry-trees, and everything bore the mark of industry—we met also one or two peasants in whose caps appeared a silver regal crown, the badge showing that they served the state.

On

inquiry we found that the lands which had

attracted our notice were the property of

the government.

It was a cold day, and I had dismounted to warm myself by a walk, when, as I was picking my steps very daintily over a small stream, in the bed of which some large stones had been placed to assist the transit of the foot traveller, one of the baggagehorses, which was close behind, by a sudden rush, deprived me of my narrow footway, and forced me into the water;-this was not comfortable, but as the culprit was luckily the luggage-horse, I soon provided myself with dry things. I mention this trifling incident as a warning to travellers in such country not to precede their horses, or at least to have their eyes about them: there were a hundred spots in the course of our tour where the being overset in this manner would have been certain destruction.

This day was the coldest we had expe