114 
Adriatic gulph, and in the great cities 
of the Ottoman empire, where any per- 
sons taking pleasure in disputing 
about the differences between the two 
churches, are Jooked upon with con- 
tempt even by their own party, and are 
treated as dangerous persons, or igno- 
rant and ill-bred. , 
The villages are for the most part 
situated in the defiles of the moun- 
tains, or upon the declivity of the 
hills, not far from a valley through 
which a little rivulet generally runs 
from the high grounds, and produces 
water sufficient for the use of the peo- 
ple. Besides this supply, they have 
wells near the valley, from three to six 
feet deep; the water seldom flows over, 
unless in rainy weather, and they are 
enclosed by low walls to prevent the 
accumulation of dust, and to resist the 
heat of the sun, so that the tempera- 
ture of the water is much the same all 
the year round. As the shallowness 
of these wells makes it unnecessary to 
use ropes or buckets, the water is ge- 
nerally drawn up in dirty jars. In the 
evening the cattle are led thither to 
drink; but, when the supply of water 
is lessened by the heat of the weather, 
they are obliged to drink kneeling, 
when, as it frequently happens that 
some of them fall in, it becomes the 
duty of one of the inhabitants to clean 
out the well, for which service he re- 
ceives an egg from every house in the 
village. thas been observed, that the 
persons who use the well-waters con- 
stantly in preference to those that are 
filtered from the hills, are subject to 
several disorders, especially the asth- 
ma; nevertheless, habit has such 
power over them, that they will not 
alter their manner of living. It may 
be said of these islanders, as well as of 
those of the rest of the Greek islands, 
that they contribute little or nothing 
either to the construction or reparation 
of any public works; and that, in this 
particular, they differ very much from 
the ancient Greeks. 
Tinos is capable of producing every 
thing common to the terra firma of 
Greece and the neighbouring islands: 
several species of oranges and citrons 
grow here ; in fact, here is every kind 
of fruit except the apple. Brandy is 
made, from raisins, and sometimes 
from figs and other ripe fruits. Onions 
abound here, and consist of two spe- 
cies: one is much used in colouring ra- 
gouts; the others, called Glecocro- 
mitha, are yery large, and sometimes 
On the Actual State of the Greek Islands. 
[Sept. I, 
weigh a pound; these have been the 
subject of much encomium among an- 
cient authors, who have boasted of their 
exquisite flavour and sweetness. Silk 
would produce a considerable revenue 
here, if the inhahitants were better in- 
structed in the manner of breeding 
silk-worms, 
The sage here is famous for its fine 
taste, the best kind grows in the recky 
environs of the village of Cumaro. In 
the month of May, before sun-rise, 
each family goes out to collect their 
annual stoek of this vegetable. They 
drink the infusion as tea all the win- 
ter; in summer, the tender buds are 
eaten by the women and children with 
Sugar; but, for two or three days after- 
wards, their tongues, teeth, and lips, 
are discoloured like chocolate. 
On the Sundays during the spring, 
the boys of Katomeri and Apanomeri 
go out in distinct companies to collect 
branches of sage. When these com- 
panies happen to meet, a rencontre is 
pretty sure to take place, called petro 
polemos, or a war with stones; these are 
often thrown at each other from a 
sling, and the victorious party are by 
right entitled to carry off all the spoil. 
The fig-tree is the principal in the 
island, and of this there are about 
fifteen different species, and it is culti- 
vated with the greatest care. Figs, 
fresh or dry, are to the inhabitants of 
Tinos what rice is to the Persians, 
manioc to the Americans, or dates to 
the Egyptians. The greatest number 
of female fig-trees are planted near en- 
closures and by walls. Their trunks 
rise from ten to fifteen feet ; their flexi- 
ble branches reaching to the ground, 
form those umbrageous arbours which 
will receive under cover from fifteen 
to twenty persons: thus, though these 
trees occupy a great extent of ground, 
the proprietors are well indemnified 
by the abundant produce. ‘This fe-. 
cundity is entirely owing to the art the 
inhabitants make use of in marrying 
the male with the female fig, by means 
of the operation called orntasma, or 
caprification, without which the foetus 
of the females would waste away, fall 
to the ground, and never arrive at 
maturity. 
he vines in Tinos are planted in 
stony ground, where it is not possible 
to use the plough ; their branches are 
so strong, that they have no need of 
supporters, and so extensive, as some- 
times to occupy a circnmierence from_ 
eighty to 100 feet, stretching horizon- 
tally, 
