ILLUSTRATED and CONFI RMED. 



33 



period of life, was, after being employed in various honourable 

 public miflions, appointed by his Majefty AmbafTador to the Su- 

 blime Porte. Having the pleafure of meeting with him previous 

 to his departure for Conftantinople, I requefted that he would en- 

 deavour to find an opportunity of paying a vilit to the Troad, 

 with M. Chevalier's book in his hand. This I found to be al- 

 ready his own inclination, as he ftill retained a fondnefs for claf- 

 fical learning, in which he had greatly diflinguilhed himfelf, when 

 a ftudent formerly at this Univerfity. I only regretted that my own 

 fituation rendered it impradlicable for me to accept of a mofl 

 kind and tempting invitation to be the companion of his voy- 

 age. In the courfe of our correfpondence, after he had been 

 fome time at Conftantinople, I had the fatisfadion to receive 

 from him a fhort letter, inclofing two others from Dr Sibthorpe 

 and Mr Hawkins, written immediately after an excurfion they 

 had made to the plain of Troy, and confirming the principal 

 circumftances of M. Chevalier's difcoveries. He afterwards 

 tranfmitted extradls from another letter of Mr Hawkins rela- 

 tive to the fame fubjedl, to all of which I fhall have occafion to 

 refer *. 



In the beginning of laft year Mr Bryant publiflied his Ob- 

 fervations upon a Treatife entitled, A Defcription of the Plain of 

 Troy, by M. Chevalier, of which he did me the honour to fend 

 me a copy, accompanied with a letter. It appeared that this 

 learned gentleman had, antecedently to the publication of M. 

 Chevalier's Efifay, been engaged in the compofition of a Dif- 

 fertation concerning the War of Troy, and the Expedition of the Gre- 

 cians, as defcribed by YLouz^, fhewing that nofuch Expedition was 

 ever undertaken, and that no fuch City of Phrygia exijlcd : but 

 finding that the new Defcription of the Plain of Troy, by gaining 

 credit in the world, might be likely to prevent the fuccefs of 

 his learned labours, he deemed it advifable to employ his ta- 



VoL. IV. e lents 



* See Appendix, No. V. 



