466 SMYRNA. [1848 



But however beautiful and impressive may be the view of 

 Smyrna from the bay, on entering the city and examining 

 it closely, the pleasing illusion is soon dissipated. " The 

 Frank quarter is dirty, ill-paved, and narrow ; in addition to 

 which, it is almost rendered impassable by long strings of 

 camels and porters carrying huge bales of cotton. The houses 

 (excepting those of the consuls and principal merchants, which 

 are large and commodious,) are miserably built ; the sides 

 consist often of planks, and when of bricks, the walls are too 

 thin to keep out cold and damp. Neither windows nor doors 

 are made to shut close ; and if locks appear on the latter, it 

 is too much to expect that they should be serviceable. There 

 is a great lack of accommodation for travellers. The only inn 

 in the town contains but a single decent room ; and the noise 

 of revelry is incessant. Beside this, there are three boarding 

 houses, but furnished lodgings are not to be procured, nor 

 can furniture be hired for a few weeks or months. The appa- 

 ratus commonly used for supplying warmth to the body in 

 cold weather is a brazier placed under the table, which is 

 covered by a large cloth held by each member of the family 

 circle up to the chin, to prevent the heat from escaping. 

 Grates and stoves have of late years been introduced, but they 

 are still rare, and to be seen only in Frank dwellings. The 

 shops are little dark rooms, but tolerably supplied with 

 European articles. The bazars, with their long covered rows 

 of stalls, built with sundry precautions against fire, whose 

 ravages are awfully common, are secured by iron gates closed 

 at night."* 



Smyrna was one of the cities that contested for the honor 

 of being the birthplace of Homer, and, also, the seat of ono 

 of the seven apocalyptic churches. It contains not far from 

 one hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants, most of whom 

 are Turks, and the remainder Greeks, Jews, Armenians, 

 Syrians, and Franks. The society is said to be quite agreeable, 

 and strangers are welcomed with a cordiality and hospitality 

 not usual in Turkish towns. The Greeks have assimilated 

 * Elliott's Travels Vol.11 p 39,etseq. 



