1$22.] 
eréfore I shall, be guided by the 
stri Seip rs Axe . 
ay 
by 
aati 
{ things, and_too little with men ; 
bat.eyen in the former they have been 
very i uperfectly instructed. In the 
eyes of these trayellers, the inhabi- 
tants of the Greek isles appear to be 
nothing above the insignificant guar- 
dians of the ruins and rubbish time has 
not yet annihilated. In general those 
travellers never speak of these people 
but as it were in conformity with a 
received custom, just to mention that 
there are inhabitants. I must add, 
that such travellers receiye very indif- 
ferent information ; they are gencrally 
ceived; they do not put their ques- 
tions pointedly, and they examine with 
{00 little caution, ; 
A, person, for instance, arrives at 
n 
Rit 
neglected. 
moust evidently be far from accurate. 
_ The inhabitants of the isle of Tinos, 
like all those of the rest of Greece, are 
very reserved. when enquiries are 
made by strangers which may tend to 
heir prejudice. With respect to an- 
cient mouumenis, they observe the 
most rigorous silence ; in this they are 
not gnilty of dissimulation, but are 
creet and prudeni. Nevertheless, 
it has frequently happened that an in- 
habitant, has been persecuted, and 
yen ruined, because the knowledge 
of is having some old mutilated siatue 
sDiRRRPHION has transpired to the 
i 
Turks 
_At is then, under a pretext, that this 
inhabitant bas found, treasures, that the 
Turks, who are not ignorant,of, the, ri- 
diculous infatuation with, which. these 
objects are sought after by the Euro- 
ns, never. neglect. to seize upon 
what they choose to say has been 
und, and condemn it to confiscation. 
hus, if an islander happens to disco. 
On the Actual State of the Greek. Islands. 
495 
ver a subterranean passage, or a well, 
or should probably dig up any inserip- 
tions, remains of tombs, &c. he will, if 
possible, conceal iteven from his own 
family. Otherwise the least indiscre- 
tion would draw down the most terrible. 
vengeance on his head. . In the mean- 
while, because the iraveller does not 
find. what he. seeks for, he imagines 
that it does not exist ; especially as he 
has heard nothing said upon the sub- 
ject. 
Tinos, as to its extent, is one of the. 
most considerable islands in the Archi- 
pelago, and was the last of the Grecian 
isles in the possession of the Venetians; 
in 1714, when it came under the 
Turkish dominion, the Grand Seig-. 
nor gave it as a fief to Veli Effendi 
Zade. Notwithstanding this, the inha- 
bitants are as much autonomes, or go- 
verned by their own laws, as they were. 
under the Romans. A_ tribunal js 
chosen among themselves, from whence, 
every two years two primates, or. 
proestotes, are selected, who are charged 
with the administration-of their affairs, 
having under them subaltern officerss 
called Epitropes. Vhough these ,pri- 
mates should he re-elected every two 
years, it sometimes happens they are 
continued by the people, and some- 
times they maintain their places, not- 
withstanding the opposition of popular 
feelings; but this is when they are pro~ 
tected by some grandee at Constan- 
tinople. ; wie lik vaRbor 
The annual tribute paid by these. 
primates to the Turkish government. is 
from 2,500/. to 3,000/7. Some time be-; 
fore this tribute is delivered, the Proes-, 
totes order the Protogheris or chiefs: 
of the villages to get the money ready. 
These chiefs then assemble the inhabi- 
tants in their districts; and at. this. 
kind of councils different.sums are 
imposed upon each individual, accord- 
ing to their ability, It is.qa kind of 
poll-tax ; besides which, so much is 
levied for a hive of bees, a, horse, a 
goat, a house, a dove-house, or any, 
sort of real property ; but no person is. 
liable to this kind of capitation under. 
the age of fifteen, Gals 9¢ 
Any inhabitant, being unable or un- 
willing to pay, this tax is liable to have 
a summons, to, attend at ,St.. Nicolo; 
and, if this is disobeyed, the; proestotes 
can go in person, or,send. others, to 
place a seal upon. the, entrance of the 
dwelling of the offending party. . This 
seal is very simple: it is a slip of paper 
fastened on with wax,,and, the impres- 
ss sion 
