upon this site. Coron is placed beneath a slope on a tongue of land which extends eastward for about half a league into the sea. Its roadstead is much exposed. It contains no object of interest. It consists of a fortress enclosing a few private houses, upon a promontory, which once served as an acropolis. From Coron, the traveller can proceed in 7 hrs. to Nisi along the shore of the Messenian Gulf; or he may return direct to Navarino in about 7 hrs. From Navarino to Kyparissia (Arcadia) is a ride of 11 hrs., through a country still delightful, notwithstanding the ravages of the war of the Revolution. During the first hour the road lies along the shore of the Gulf, and then enters an extensive plain, crossing several other streams. After passing through a beautifully wooded valley, it reaches Gargaliano, a large village overlooking the plain 2 m. from the sea, directly opposite the island of Prote. After a further ride of 3 hrs. through very picturesque scenery, the village of Philiatra is seen, picturesquely situated, among vineyards, olive and cypress trees. Each house stands singly, generally enclosed in a garden. The remaining 3 hrs. to Arcadia are through a country equally rich. Kyparissia (Arcadia).-The Castle of Arcadia is, from a distance, a beautiful object, but the traveller's anticipations are disappointed on entering the town, which has little to recommend it. The town of Arcadia is in Messenia. It is built on the site of the ancient Kyparissia, at about 1 m. from the sea, on the narrow summit of a rock, connected with a high mountain; the houses cover the flanks of the ridge. The castle commands a fine view of the slope which descends to the sea. On the shore below the town, some houses and magazines, behind a projection of rock, indicate the Scala of Arcadia; but it seldom happens that ships venture to remain long in the roadstead, as it is so much exposed, and during the winter hardly a boat appears. The island of Prote, by the Italians called Prodano, is, in fact, the port of Arcadia, and all the export produce is conveyed thither to be shipped. There are no antiquities in the town, and the vestiges of the ancient city are confined to a few patches of Hellenic masonry in the medieval castle, and some fragments of Doric columns. On the S. side of the town, close to the sea-shore, is the fountain once sacred to Dionysus, as is recorded by Pausanias. Kyparissia was and is the only town of importance on the W. coast of Messenia between Pylos and Triphylia. It appears to have been inhabited from the earliest times. In the middle ages it came to be called Arcadia, that name being transferred from the interior of the Peninsula to this place on the coast. The town was destroyed by Ibrahim in 1825, and, when rebuilt, resumed its ancient name. olive-trees. 1 hr. after leaving | called Marrazumeno. The river joins Arcadia it crosses a stream. To the the Pamisus a little to the S. rt. is a rocky summit, with some ruins. of an hr. after is a bridge over a ravine. The traveller then comes to the stream and ravine of Kakorema, which was formerly a rendezvous for robbers. Before reaching Klisura is a marshy plain, in which are many branches of a river in artificial canals. Klisura, 4 hrs. 20 min. from Arcadia, is a small village under the S. side of Mount Tetrazi (probably the Mount Eira of Messenian history) containing some vestiges of antiquity. A path from Klisura over the mountains leads to Kacaletri, where is a Palaokastron, corresponding in some degree to the ancient Ira, or Eira, the stronghold of the old Messenian hero Aristo menes, and near the temple of Apollo at Bassa. There also are some ruins on a hill near Klisura. Klisura to Konstantinos is 3 hrs. The road descends to the river Kokla, which, with the Mavro-Zumeno, runs into the Gulf of Coron. 1 hr. from Klisura are seen across the river, on a high insulated eminence, the ruins of Pala okastron. The path turns to the 1. out of the main road, and after passing another eminence and Palao-kastron, reaches Konstantinos, a large village. 2 hrs. after leaving Konstantinos is seen the gap between the two tops of Mount Vurkano-Ithome and Evas. The road now ascends, by the monastery on Mount Ithome, to the pass between Mounts Ithome and Evas, and after a long descent reaches Mavromati. Mavromati to Sakona 4 hrs. See Sakano to Leondári is 4 hrs. 1 Leondári to Sináno (Megalopolis) is hr, about 7 miles. Near Leondari the river Xerillo is seen to the right, and nearly half-way to Sinano the road crosses the Alpheus. Sináno.-Mount Lykens is conspicuous from this little village. Close by is the site of Megalopolis, founded by Epaminondas after the battle of Leuctra (B.C. 371) to act, like Messene, as a check to Sparta. Megalopolis became the seat of government of the Arcadian, as Messene of the Messenian confederation. It was the birth-place of Polybius and Philopomen. Little remains of this great city, except its immense theatre, which is very perfect, though now much concealed by shrubs, grass, and thorns. Megalopolis was 6 miles in circumKonstantinos to Marromati (Mes- ference, and was divided by the river sene) is 4 hrs. 20 min. Descending Helisson into two parts. On one bank from Konstantinos, the road crosses was the Agora, and on the other a brook; soon after, on the right, is the theatre. The site of the town is the opening of the valley towards covered with thickets and corn-fields. Arcadia; and shortly afterwards is among which are strewed fragments of a most peculiar triangular ancient columns. The valley of Megalopolis bridge, at the junction of two rivers. abounds in delightful scenery; desolaIt rests on two piers in the centre, tion has not deprived it of its natural whence arches in three different direc- beauties, as it has that of Tripolitza. tions lead to the three points of land Sinano is a bad resting-place, being formed by the confluence. "A hori-infested with musquitoes, malaria, &c. zontal section of the bridge," as Mr. Clark has remarked, "would resemble the cognizance of the Isle of Man, the three legs." The two rivers are the ancient Balyra and Amphites; the united stream and the bridge are now * Κλεισούρα (κλείω, to shut) is a name often given to a pass, and to places in it. Karytena, the next station, is free from these objections, and there is better accommodation. From Sináno the traveller should visit Karytena, whose castle is interesting from its romantic situation, and as having long been the residence of the celebrated chief Colocotroni. It is about 2 hrs. distant from Sináno, and occupies the site of the ancient Berenthe. Karytena is one of the most important military points in the Peloponnesus. The castle occupies the summit of a high rock extremely steep towards the Alpheus, and connected eastward with the mountain which lies between the adjacent part of the plain of the Alpheus and the vale of Atzikolo; on the north and south the hill slopes more gradually, and on these sides the town is situated. The hill stands at the southern extremity of the revà, or straits of the Alpheus, which separate the upper from the lower great valley of that river. Karytena deserves attention as having been the stronghold whence the Klephtic chief above-mentioned convulsed the Morea from the death of Capodistria till the accession of King Otho. The site of the ancient Gortys is a little N. of Karytena. From Karytena the traveller may either proceed to Tripolitza, a journey of 8 hrs. 40 min., or return to Sináno. From Karytena to Kalabryta is described in Rte. 36. Sináno to Tripolitza is 6 hrs. The road passes beautiful scenery of woods and glens, and fine mountain views, and after reaching one of the sources of the Alpheus, continues through rocky valleys to the central plain of Arcadia, and so reaches Tripolitza. From Arcadia or Kyparissia the road leads through olive-grounds and corn-fields to the termination of the Arcadian range. It crosses a river and innumerable rivulets; the country is clothed with oaks, arbutus, and myrtles, and the hills covered with wild mulberry-trees. Sidero Kastro (3 hrs. 40 min.) is a village on a steep hill. A ruined fortress is some little distance from it. The situation of the village is very cold; but travellers may manage to pass a night in it tolerably well. In the neighbourhood were the ancient cities of Aulon, Ira, and Dorion. There are two other ruins between Sidero-Kastro and Paulizza. From Sidero-Kastro to Paulizza (the ancient Phigaleia) is about 9 m., occupying 4 hrs., from the badness of the road. After a short descent, the road ascends to a summit, whence is a view of a beautiful and picturesque country. Hence is a difficult descent among distorted oaks into cultivated ground; the path then enters a narrow and picturesque glen, clothed with ilex, platanus, and laurel: at a very contracted spot in the glen is a fine cataract. Another difficult descent AND follows, and the traveller crosses the Neda, now called Busi, by a lofty bridge of one arch. The grandeur of this river cannot be exceeded, and the white precipices of the Neda are mentioned by Pausanias as one of the characteristics of the neighbourhood Hrs. Min. 740 2 20 becomes almost impracticable, till it reaches Tragoge;-a further ascent of an hour brings one to the ruins of the temple at Bassæ, which all travellers should visit. The Temple of Apollo Epicurius is one of the finest in Greece. The place was called Bassæ, but is now known among the peasants by the name of the Columns (σTovs ZTÚλOUS). The remains of the temple are very perfect; three pillars only of the outer range are wanting; the foundations of the antæ or pilasters of the interior still exist, as does the pavement. It is 126 feet in length, by 48 in breadth, and faces nearly N. and S. The columns are 3 feet 8 inches in diameter at the base, and 20 feet high, including the capital. As usual in peripteral temples, there were two columns in the pronaos, and as many in the posticum; so that the total number in the peristyle was 42, of which 35 are standing, and, with three exceptions, covered with their architraves. There are 20 shallow flutings in the shafts, as usual in the Doric order. As they measure only 3 feet under the capital, and are five times the lower diameter in height, they are both more tapering and shorter in proportion to their height than the columns of the Parthenon. In technical terms, the temple may be described as a peripteral hypæthral hexastyle. It is built of a hard, yellowish-brown limestone, susceptible of a high polish. Phigalea was situated upon a lofty and precipitous hill, and the greater part of the walls are built upon the rocks, but on the ascent of the hill there is an even and level space. The walls of Phigalea furnish one of the most ancient and curious specimens of military Greek architecture. They were nearly as extensive as those of Messene, and their entire circuit may be traced. They were defended by numerous towers, some of them circular, and placed on tremendous precipices. There is a small postern in the wall, the arch of which is formed by each successive layer of stones projecting beyond that beneath it, so that the upper layers of the two sides meet at the top. On the summit, just within the ancient walls, are the remains of a detached citadel, 80 yards in length, of a singular form. The architecture here resembles, but is inferior to, that of Messene. The citadel of Phigalea commands a fine, though not a very The situation of the temple is singuextensive, view of Arcadian scenery.lar and romantic; it stands on a ridge The most interesting points are Mount Ithome and the Temple of Basse; the summits of Lykaum close the view to the eastward; to the westward are seen Mount Vunuka, Strovitzi and its Paleo-kastron (Lepreum), the mouth of the Neda, and Mount Paraskevi (Пaрaσkeún), above Kyparissia. From Phigalea to Bassa occupies about 2 hrs., though only about 4 m. Descending from Phigalea, the road enters a cultivated valley; it then ascends a steep glen, and from the number of streams to be crossed between two high summits covered with old oaks. There is a magnificent view towards Ithome and the Gulf of Coron on the left; and to the right of the Gulf of Arcadia and the Strophades. Across the Neda to the S. is | a village called Kacaletri, near which are ruins, which some think are those of Ira, celebrated as the stronghold of the great Messenian hero, Aristomenes. The frieze of the temple of Bassæ (which was discovered by some English and German travellers in 1812) is now in the British Museum. This temple was erected by Ictinus, the architect of the Parthenon at Athens, at the charges of the neighbouring Arcadian town of Phagelia. It was dedicated to Apollo Epicurius, or the Helper, as a grateful record of deliverance from a plague. With the exception of that of Theseus, it is in better preservation than any temple in Greece. The frieze in the British Museum was probably the work of the scholars of Phidias. Hence the subjects represented the struggles of Theseus with the Centaurs and Amazons-refer to Athenian history. Like the temple of Pæstum, the temple of Bass was either unknown or forgotten till the middle of the 18th century. We envy the feelings of the first classical scholar on whom it burst much as it was seen by Pausa nias. Tragoge, 1 hr. from Bassæ, is a small mountain village. Tragoge to Andritzena, between 3 and 4 hrs. The road leads up a steep ascent through olive-groves, and then descends into forests of oaks. Alternately ascending and descending, the traveller reaches a point above Andritzena, whence is a view of the Ionian sea and the Island of Zante. lenic town, called St. Helena, a little off the direct road. It requires 6 hrs. to reach Karytena by St. Helena. The direct distance is not more than 8 miles. The route from Andritzena to Kalabryta and Megaspelion is described in Route 34. From Andritzena to Olympia by Palæo Phanaro, where the Alpheus is forded, and to Miraka, is 10 or 11 hrs. about 30 miles. The road descends to the village of Tzaka, 24 hrs. from Andritzena. A descent of another hour brings the traveller to the Alpheus, along whose banks the road to Palæo Phanaro lies. Riding along this famous river, one recalls to mind the legend of its reappearing, after a passage beneath the sea, in the plains of Enna, in Sicily; a legend so exquisitely embodied in Shelley's Arethusa.' One likewise realizes the fact that the poet, by placing the Acroceraunian mountains in this region, has taken a slight poetic licence. When the river is much swollen, it is not possible to ford it at Palæo Phanaro, a ruined village, and the traveller will be then obliged to go down the stream as far as Makrisia, close to the Olympian vale, where he will find a ferry-boat. After the passage of the Alpheus at Palæo Phanaro, the traveller reaches Miraka, a poor village situated on a pro Andritzena affords better accommo-jecting point, overlooking the Olymdation for travellers than most places in the Peloponnesus. It is beautifully situated in an elevated hollow, at the head of a fertile tract, sloping down to the Alpheus. The town was destroyed during the war, but was soon restored. Not far from the road from Andritzena, on the S. bank of the Alpheus, about 3 miles from Olympia, is the site of the ancient Skillus. It stood in a woody valley, and here Xenophon spent the latter part of his life. The General and Historian, the pupil of Socrates, and friend of Agesilaus, by the side of this stream and among these woods, composed the greater part of his works. and in these fields enjoyed his favourite pastime of hunting. pian valley and about 2 m. from the river. He enters the Valley of Pisa or Olympia by a steep descent through a narrow thickly-wooded glen, from Miraka. The valley lies E. to W., and is formed by the Kroniac range to the N., and a higher chain to the S. Its length is 3 miles, and breadth 1 mile; it is on two separate levels, on the upper of which, secure from inundations, stood the monuments of art which once adorned this celebrated spot. The site of the Temple of Jupiter can be identified; it has been excavated by the inhabitants of the vicinity for the sake of the building materials. The foundation stones are large quadrangular masses of a very friable limestone, composed of an aggregate of From Andritzena is a road to Kary-shells,-it is the same kind of rock of tena, by the remains of a small Hel- which all the neighbouring mountains |